Legend has it that Georgia Tech had been meaning to destroy Cumberland University ever since the two went head to head for the first time in 1916. Georgia Tech coach, John Heisman, ruthlessly trained his team until they scored 220 points and Cumberland scored zero.
It sounds impossible, but it totally happened and we don’t know how. It’s safe to say that revenge was served that day. Never mess with Georgia Tech again.
Flying Hockey Player
What an incredible capture this is. From the horizontal angle of his body and the look of surprise on his face, it really looks as though hockey player, Bobby Orr, has accidentally discovered how to fly. The photo was captured in 1970, during the Stanley Cup Finals. Hockey fans will tell you; it is rare to see a player mid-flight like this.
Orr’s team, the Boston Bruins, ended up winning their first cup in 29 years after this game. And Orr, widely considered one of the greatest players in the history of ice hockey, took out the MVP honors.
Carl's Glorious Moment
This stunning image captures a multi-layered moment. First, there is the pure personal achievement of Carl Lewis, an athlete who set a new definition for the word “fast.” You’re also seeing the moment two world records (one for Lewis on the anchor leg and one for the whole team) were broken during the 4×100m relay at the Barcelona Olympics in 1992.
Lewis ran his 100m leg in an incredible time of just 8.85 seconds, and his record stood for 15 years, unbroken until 2007. The joy captured in the faces of all three athletes in this shot is incredible. You can almost feel it glowing out of the image and warming your cheeks.
A Running Champion
This image was captured during the finals of the 100m dash at the 1988 Olympics. At this elite level, athletes are completing the race in a matter of seconds, so it seems impossible for any sprinter to pull that far ahead of the pack. Winners are often determined by fractions of a second.
Yet in this image, we see the incredible Ben Johnson blitzing the rest of the runners on his way to a gold medal at these Olympics, held in South Korea. In the process, he set a new world record. If you’re thinking this skill level looks impossible, well, you’re kind of right. Johnson was later found to be using performance-enhancing drugs and had the gold medal stripped from him.
Like Father Like Daughter
Laila Ali is a former pro boxer who holds both middleweight and light heavyweight titles. She retired in 2007 undefeated. If her last name sounds familiar, then you're absolutely correct, as she's the daughter of former Heavyweight Champion Muhammad Ali, who is arguably the greatest boxer of all time. In the photo below, Laila Ali is seen posing with her father after defeating Erin Toughill by knockout on June 11, 2005.
Fun fact, Laila Ali worked as a manicurist when she was 16, and she even owned her own salon. Despite growing up with a boxing champion as a father, her interest in boxing didn't spark until she was 18 after watching a women's boxing match. What a career change! Her father wasn't thrilled with the idea of her dangerous new venture, but he would eventually show his support and attend her boxing matches, and he definitely did not disappoint.