Roger Bannister, the first man to run the mile in less than four minutes, died Saturday in Oxford, England, his family said in a statement. He was 88.

Despite his many other accomplishments, the world has always remembered him for what he did more than 60 years ago on a cinder track in the early evening of what had been a blustery, rainy day in Oxford. On May 6, 1954, Bannister, then a gangly 25-year-old runner noted for his strong finishing kick, ran a mile race in 3 minutes, 59.4 seconds.

It was the athletic equivalent of landing on the moon.