27/06/2024
Mildred “Babe” Didrikson Zaharias -- one of the greatest all-around athletes of the twentieth century -- was born on this day in 1911. Famous for setting records in a wide variety of sports, most notably in golf, basketball, and track and field, Didrikson is widely credited with demonstrating that women could excel as professional athletes. In 1999, the Associated Press voted Didrikson the Woman Athlete of the 20th Century.
Born in 1911 to Norwegian immigrants in Texas, Didrikson knew from the time she was a teenager that her "goal was to be the greatest athlete who ever lived." To many at the time, however, female athletes were considered unfeminine and almost freakish. One article in the New York World-Telegram said, “It would be much better if [Didrikson] and her ilk stayed at home, got themselves prettied up and waited for the phone to ring.” But, over time, Didrikson's incredible performances won her many fans such as sportswriter Grantland Rice who wrote, "She is beyond all belief until you see her perform. Then you finally understand that you are looking at the most flawless section of muscle harmony, of complete mental and physical coordination, the world of sport has ever seen."
Didrikson participated in nearly every sport available to her at the time, including basketball, track, golf, baseball, tennis, swimming, diving, boxing, volleyball, handball, bowling, billiards, skating, and cycling. At the 1932 Olympics, Didrikson qualified for five events, but only competed in three, the maximum allowed for a woman athlete. She won two of the three events, and received silver in the last event after a dubious ruling about her high jump style that is still debated today. After the Olympics, she began her golf career, where she dominated the women’s circuit and earned the Associated Press’ Female Athlete of the Year from 1945 to 1947. At one point, when she was asked how someone weighing 145 pounds could drive the ball 250 yards, she replied, "You've got to loosen your girdle and let it rip."
In April 1953, after playing in the inaugural Babe Zaharias Open tournament, Didrikson was diagnosed with cancer. Surgeons operated, but discovered that the tumor had spread to her lymph nodes and was inoperable. Despite her illness, Didrikson returned to playing golf fourteen weeks after her surgery, and went on to a stunning comeback, winning her third US Women’s Open by a margin of twelve strokes. “Babe” Didrikson Zaharias died of cancer on September 27, 1956 at the age of 45 but her many honors, both past and present, remain an inspiration to female athletes who believe, as she did, “You can’t win them all -- but you can try.”
For adult readers interested in learning more about this incredible sports pioneer, we highly recommend "Wonder Girl: The Magnificent Sporting Life of Babe Didrikson Zaharias" at https://www.amightygirl.com/wonder-girl
To introduce young readers to this inspiring trailblazer, we recommend the two excellent biographies: “Babe Didrikson Zaharias: The Making of a Champion” for ages 10 to 14 (https://www.amightygirl.com/babe-didrikson-zaharias) and "Babe Conquers The World” for ages 9 to 13 (https://www.amightygirl.com/babe-conquers-the-world)
For a wonderful picture book about girls and women breaking athletic records throughout history, we highly recommend "Girls With Guts!" for ages 6 to 9 at https://www.amightygirl.com/girls-with-guts
Didrikson is also one of 50 trailblazing athletes in the excellent illustrated biography "Women in Sports: 50 Fearless Athletes Who Played to Win" for ages 9 and up at https://www.amightygirl.com/women-in-sports
To introduce your kids to more stories of female sports trailblazers, visit our “Sports & Games” book section at https://www.amightygirl.com/books/general-interest/sports-games
And, for one of our favorite shirts celebrating the power of girls and women, check out the "Though She Be But Little She Is Fierce" t-shirt -- available in a variety of styles and colors for all ages at https://www.amightygirl.com/fierce-t-shirt