January 26 Birthdays

1917
 Louis Zamperini, United States, distance runner. Zamperini always considered himself a miler, but after he qualified for the 1936 United States Olympic Team in the 5,000 meters the USOC arranged for him to miss the trials for the 1,500 meters. Nevertheless, as a 19-year-old appearing the in the Games for the first time, he placed eighth in the 5,000, running 14:46.8. One story about the 1936 Games tells that a German security guard almost shot Zamperini when the American distance runner tried to claim a Nazi flag as a "souvenir." 

After returning to the United States, Zamperini won NCAA titles in the mile in 1938 (4:08.3) and 1939 (4:13.6). Dreams of Olympic gold and sub-4:00 miles had to go on hold, though, when World War II broke out. Zamperini was already enlisted in the United States Army Air Corps when the Empire of Japan attacked Pearl Harbor. In 1942 his plane went down in the Pacific, and after a long ordeal on a life raft he was captured by the Japanese. Zamperini was held in the same prisoner camp as Greg "Pappy" Boyington. Boyington wrote that the prisoners were always hungry, and, obsessed with food, would swap recipes to entertain themselves. Although Zamperini's recipes were popular in the camp, when Boyington actually read them, he concluded that Zamperini didn't actually know how to cook. Zamperini survived the war. Although he was never able to return to competitive athletics, through his work he gave many youngsters the same opportunities that he had.