July 11, 1924: The True Story Behind "Chariots of Fire"

Eric Liddell

July 11, 1924: Eric Liddell, a 22-year-old Scotsman, wins the Gold Medal in the 400 meters at the Olympic Games in Paris.

It was not originally his intention to compete in the 400. He had wanted to compete in the 100 meters. But he found out that the heats for them were going to be held on a Sunday. As a devout Christian -- perhaps excessively so -- he refused to compete on a Sunday, and chose to compete in the 400 instead.

Great Britain did win the 100, through Harold Abrahams, who was Jewish. Among the runners he defeated was Jackson Scholz, an American who also competed in the 200 meters, and won that.

Liddell had been born in China to Scottish missionaries. In 1925, he returned to China and went into the family business. He was captured by the Japanese during World War II, and died in an internment camp in 1945. He is often considered a martyr to his faith.

Abrahams became a lawyer, and a reporter on track and field events, both for print media and BBC Radio. He was present at Oxford University in 1954 when Roger Bannister became the 1st man to break the 4-minute mile. He also became President of the Jewish Athletic Association, and lived until 1978.

In 1981, the film Chariots of Fire was released, and would win the Academy Award for Best Picture. It is best remembered for its opening sequence, showing British runners on a beach, to the theme song written by Greek composer Vangelis. Despite being an instrumental, the song would hit Number 1 on the American charts the following year.

Ian Charleson played Liddell. Like Liddell, he was a Scot and a graduate of the University of Edinburgh. However, the film gets the facts wrong, saying that Liddell didn't find out that the heats for the 100 meters would be on a Sunday until he was about to board the boat that would take the British Olympic team across the English Channel, giving him very little time to prepare for the 400 instead. In reality, he found out months in advance, and was able to properly prepare for the 400.

The film also shows the Prince of Wales, later King Edward VIII and the Duke of Windsor, played by David Yelland, personally intervening to try to get Liddell to change his mind and race on Sunday. There is no evidence that this occurred. The film's portrayal of the religious struggles of Liddell and Abrahams were accurate, however, including Scholz handing Liddle a slip of paper with an encouraging verse of Scripture written on it.

Jackson Scholz

Abrahams was played by Ben Cross, and Scholz by Brad Davis. In 1984, in preparation for the Olympics in Los Angeles, Cross did an American Express "Do you know me?" commercial with the real Scholz, who lived another 2 years.

*

July 11, 1924 was a Friday -- not a Sunday. Actress Brett Somers, best known as a panelist on the TV show Match Game, was born.

This was an era when some places in America still did not permit professional sports on Sundays, including the "Commonwealths" of Massachusetts and Pennsylvania. This meant that 5 out of the 16 teams then playing what would later be called Major League Baseball could not play home games on Sundays, leaving Saturdays and holidays as the only days when they could get big crowds of people who didn't have to work.

These baseball games were played on that day:

* The New York Yankees beat the Chicago White Sox, 12-9 at Yankee Stadium. Babe Ruth, Wally Pipp and Everett Scott hit home runs.

* The New York Giants beat the St. Louis Cardinals, 10-5 at Sportsman's Park in St. Louis. George "High Pockets" Kelly hit a home run that began a 5-run outburst in the top of the 10th inning. Frankie Frisch and Ross Youngs also homered.

* The Brooklyn Robins (as the Dodgers were known under the managerial reign of Wilbert Robinson from 1914 to 1931) beat the Chicago Cubs, 9-1 at Cubs Park (later Wrigley Field) in Chicago. Jack Fournier went 3-for-4 with 2 home runs and 6 RBIs.

* A doubleheader was split at Fenway Park in Boston. The St. Louis Browns won the opener, 8-1. The Boston Red Sox won the nightcap, 7-6. Over the 2 games, the Browns' George Sisler went 4-for-9 with 2 RBIs.

* The Philadelphia Athletics beat the Cleveland Indians, 10-1 at Shibe Park in Philadelphia. Al Simmons and Bill Lamar homered for the A's. Indians player-manager Tris Speaker went 0-for-3.

* The Detroit Tigers beat the Washington Senators, 4-3 at Griffith Stadium in Washington. A 3-run 8th inning helped the Tigers come from behind against Walter Johnson. Tiger player-manager Ty Cobb went 2-for-4. The Senators went on to win their 1st World Series that season, anyway.

* The Pittsburgh Pirates beat the Boston Braves, 8-2 at Forbes Field in Pittsburgh.

* And the Cincinnati Reds beat the Philadelphia Phillies, 6-0 at Redland Field (later Crosley Field) in Cincinnati.