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Tim Harford explains the numbers and statistics in the news and in life

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More or Less: Did Sir Roger Bannister make the ‘impossible’ possible?

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Did Sir Roger Bannister make the ‘impossible’ possible?

10/03/2018 GMT

BBC World Service - More or Less, Did Sir Roger Bannister make the ‘impossible’ possible?

A mile in under four minutes. Did positive thinking propel dozens to do the same?

After Sir Roger Bannister ran a mile in under four minutes, did positive thinking propel dozens to do the same?

More or Less marks the passing of a sporting legend. This week Sir Roger Bannister, the first person to run one mile in less than 4 minutes, died peacefully in Oxford at the age of 88. 

His achievement was one of the most famous records of the 20th Century, and soon became shrouded in myth. After the ‘impossible’ psychological barrier was broken, motivational speakers like Anthony Robbins claim that the year after it was broken, the power of positive thinking helped dozens of runners to break the four-minute record. 

Four years ago Tim Harford spoke to Sir Roger Bannister himself to separate myth from reality and find out exactly what propelled him to his famous feat.

Presenter: Tim Harford
Producer: James Fletcher


(Britain's Roger Bannister (centre) being congratulated by Chris Chataway after setting a new record of 3 minutes 59.4 seconds. On the left is Chris Brasher. Photo by Norman Potter / Getty Images)

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