On This Day
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Jan van der Hoorn wins 8th Dutch 11-cities skating race (10:51)

Jeen van den Berg (8 January 1928 – 8 October 2014) was a Dutch long track speed skating athlete primarily known as the winner of the Elfstedentocht of 1954.

Jeen van den Berg (8 January 1928 – 8 October 2014) was a Dutch long track speed skating athlete primarily known as the winner of the Elfstedentocht of 1954. He competed in the race a record seven times, with his first race being in 1947 and his final one in 1997.

On 3 February 1954, van den Berg finished the race in a record 7 hours and 35 minutes, a record finally bettered by Evert van Benthem 31 years later. He came third in the infamous 1963 race.

In 1973 he became the first Dutch marathon skate champion.

Historical Significance

Jeen van den Berg (8 January 1928 – 8 October 2014) was a Dutch long track speed skating athlete primarily known as the winner of the Elfstedentocht of 1954.

Events Before

  1. UN General Assembly meets for the first time in London

    The United Nations General Assembly (UNGA or GA) is one of the six principal organs of the United Nations (UN), serving as its main deliberative, policymaking, and representative organ.

  2. United Nations Security Council holds its first meeting, at Westminster Central Hall in Westminster, England

    United Nations Security Council holds its first meeting, at Westminster Central Hall in Westminster, England

  3. American actor John Wayne (38) weds actress Esperanza Baur (25) in Long Beach, California; divorce in 1954

    American actor John Wayne (38) weds actress Esperanza Baur (25) in Long Beach, California; divorce in 1954

  4. NY Giants outfielder Danny Gardella is the first major leaguer to announce he is jumping to the "outlaw" Mexican Basebal

    NY Giants outfielder Danny Gardella is the first major leaguer to announce he is jumping to the "outlaw" Mexican Baseball League for contract worth $13,000; triggers US MLB Commissioner Happy Chandler to impose a five-year minimum ban on players who move to the rival league

  5. General Juan Perón is first elected President of Argentina

    Juan Domingo Perón was an Argentine military officer and politician who was the 29th and 40th president of Argentina, serving from 1946 to his overthrow in 1955, and from 1973 to 1974.

Events After

  1. 25 states merge under the Government of Orissa

    25 states merge under the Government of Orissa

  2. Mahatma Gandhi begins his final fast

    Mahatma Gandhi was assassinated on 30 January 1948 at the age of 78 in the compound of The Birla House (now Gandhi Smriti), a large mansion in central New Delhi.

  3. Mahatma Gandhi is assassinated in the garden of the New Delhi home he is visiting by Hindu extremist Nathuram Godse

    Mahatma Gandhi is assassinated in the garden of the New Delhi home he is visiting by Hindu extremist Nathuram Godse

  4. American comic Dick Van Dyke (22) weds American girlfriend Margerie Willett (20) on the radio show "Bride and Groom" in

    American comic Dick Van Dyke (22) weds American girlfriend Margerie Willett (20) on the radio show "Bride and Groom" in Los Angeles California; divorce in 1984 after a long separation

  5. Iris Apfel (née Barrel) marries Carl Apfel

    Iris Apfel (née Barrel) marries Carl Apfel

More from the 1940s

D-Day: The Normandy Landings

Allied forces launch the largest amphibious invasion in history on the beaches of Normandy, France, marking the beginning of the liberation of Western Europe from Nazi occupation.

wars conflicts

World War II: Representatives of 26 nations at war with the Axis powers sign the Declaration of the United Nations, pled

World War II: Representatives of 26 nations at war with the Axis powers sign the Declaration of the United Nations, pledging to make no separate peace deals

Mahatma Gandhi begins a march for peace in East Bengal

Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi (2 October 1869 – 30 January 1948) was an Indian lawyer, anti-colonial nationalist, and political thinker who employed nonviolent resistance to lead the successful campaign…

birth

Omar al-Bashir is born

Omar al-Bashir is born

Frequently Asked Questions

What happened on February 8, 1947?
Jeen van den Berg (8 January 1928 – 8 October 2014) was a Dutch long track speed skating athlete primarily known as the winner of the Elfstedentocht of 1954. He competed in the race a record seven times, with his first race being in 1947 and his final one in 1997. On 3 February 1954, van den Berg finished the race in a record 7 hours and 35 minutes, a record finally bettered by Evert van Benthem 31 years later.
Why is Jan van der Hoorn wins 8th Dutch 11-cities skating race (10:51) significant?
Jeen van den Berg (8 January 1928 – 8 October 2014) was a Dutch long track speed skating athlete primarily known as the winner of the Elfstedentocht of 1954.

Explore More

February 8 in HistoryYear 1947