By Leyton Ezzell
You take a deep breath, you ready yourself to throw the javelin, and everyone in the world is watching you. You are Babe Didrikson Zaharias, also known as the first female athlete superstar.
Didrikson was born in Port Arthur, Texas, in 1911. Being born sixth out of seven children in her family, she gained the nickname “Babe” after hitting five home runs during a childhood baseball game. Apart from baseball, she also had many other talents, such as being a great seamstress.
She attended Beaumont High School, where she was reportedly not the strongest student, having to go through eighth grade twice. She also dropped out without graduating and then moved to Dallas to play basketball. She also was a singer and sang under Mercury Records. Her two biggest hits were “I Felt a Little Teardrop” with “Detour” on the flipside.
Babe also met her husband, George Zaharias, a pro wrestler, in St. Louis, Missouri, on December 23, 1938. The two met while they were playing golf and got married soon after. They also acted in a movie known as “Pat and Mike.”
Babe’s golf career started in 1953, where she was the first woman to ever participate in the PGA. She then took 81 and 84 but missed the cut. This was the start of her sports career. Another achievement she has is her taking two gold medals and one silver. The two gold were for 80-meter hurdles and javelin. The silver was for the high jump.
It is undeniable that Babe Didrikson Zaharias was one of the most influential people, not just women, in history, with the simple idea of standing up to everyday life’s normality.
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