Charles James Bacon Jr. (January 9, 1885 – November 15, 1968) was an American athlete and a member of the Irish American Athletic Club and the

New York City Police Department The New York City Police Department (NYPD), officially the City of New York Police Department, established on May 23, 1845, is the primary municipal law enforcement agency within the City of New York, the largest and one of the oldest in ...

. He won the 400 metres hurdles at the 1908 Summer Olympics. He was born in

Brooklyn, New York Brooklyn () is a borough of New York City, coextensive with Kings County, in the U.S. state of New York. Kings County is the most populous county in the State of New York, and the second-most densely populated county in the United States, be ...

and died in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. At the 1904 Summer Olympics he finished ninth in the 1500 metres event. Two years later at the

1906 Summer Olympics The 1906 Intercalated Games or 1906 Olympic Games was an international multi-sport event that was celebrated in Athens, Greece. They were at the time considered to be Olympic Games and were referred to as the "Second International Olympic Games ...

he finished fifth in the 400 metres competition and sixth in the 800 metres event. Just a month and a half before the 1908 Olympic Games in

London London is the capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary dow ...

, Bacon ran in

Philadelphia Philadelphia, often called Philly, is the List of municipalities in Pennsylvania#Municipalities, largest city in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, the List of United States cities by population, sixth-largest city i ...

setting a new unofficial

world record A world record is usually the best global and most important performance that is ever recorded and officially verified in a specific skill, sport, or other kind of activity. The book ''Guinness World Records'' and other world records organization ...

of 55.8 in the 400 metre hurdles. At the Olympic Games in 1908, he and fellow American

Harry Hillman Harry Livingston Hillman Jr. (September 8, 1881 – August 9, 1945) was an American athlete and winner of three gold medals at the 1904 Summer Olympics. Biography Born in Brooklyn, New York, Hillman was a member of three Olympic tea ...

went over the last hurdle simultaneously, after which Bacon pulled away on the straight to win in a new world record of 55.0 seconds. This record was recognized by IAAF, thus Bacon became the first world record holder in the 400 metres hurdles. The same year, Bacon set the world record for the 440 yards, 10 hurdles, 3 feet 6 inches at Celtic Park, Queens, New York, the home of the Irish American Athletic Club on October 11, 1908.1910 Mecca Cigarettes Champion Athlete and Prize Fighter Series trading card.
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Winged Fist Organization
1885 births 1968 deaths Sportspeople from Brooklyn Track and field athletes from New York City American male middle-distance runners American male hurdlers Athletes (track and field) at the 1904 Summer Olympics Athletes (track and field) at the 1906 Intercalated Games Athletes (track and field) at the 1908 Summer Olympics World record setters in athletics (track and field) New York City Police Department officers Olympic gold medalists for the United States in track and field Medalists at the 1908 Summer Olympics {{US-athletics-Olympic-medalist-stub