Origins & Early Life

Gillis Emanuel Grafström (7 June 1893 – 14 April 1938) was a Swedish figure skater. He was born in Stockholm, Sweden. He won three successive Olympic gold medals in Men's Figure Skating (1920, 1924, 1928) as well as an Olympic silver medal in the same event in 1932, and three World Championships (1922, 1924, 1929). Grafström is one of the few athletes who have competed in both the Summer and Winter Olympic games.

Pivotal Works & Achievements

He and Eddie Eagan are the only athletes to have won gold medals at both the Summer and Winter Olympic Games, although Eagan remains the only one to have managed the feat in different disciplines. He is one of the oldest figure skating Olympic champions. Grafström was born in Stockholm; his younger brother Lars Grafström was also a competitive figure skater and Swedish national champion. Gillis Grafström competed in his only European Championships in 1912 and won the "senior men's" category, separate from the European champion category. He began studying at KTH Royal Institute of Technology that same year.

Enduring Legacy & Impact

In 1914, Grafström competed at the last World Championships before the first world war. He came in seventh place after falling and hitting his head. While...

Contemporary Figures & Related Historical Timelines

• Bai Chongxi — Contemporary (Born in 1893) (1893): Prominent Chinese military general and KMT leader who ruled Guangxi province.
• Bill Tilden — Contemporary (Born in 1893) (1893): Dominant American tennis star, 'Big Bill', known for 14 Major singles titles.
• Bugs Moran — Contemporary (Born in 1893) (1893): Chicago Prohibition-era gangster known for his role in the St. Valentine's Day Massacre.
• Alan Bond — Contemporary (Born in 1938) (1938): Australian businessman known for high-profile dealings, the America's Cup, and founding Bond University.
• Albert Fert — Contemporary (Born in 1938) (1938): Pioneering physicist known for the discovery of giant magnetoresistance.
• Anthony Leggett — Contemporary (Born in 1938) (1938): Pioneering theoretical physicist known for work on superfluidity and low-temperature quantum systems.
• Al-Nasir Muhammad — Shared historical date (06-07 · Died) (1341): Mamluk Sultan of Egypt, known for his extensive, though turbulent, rule across several decades.
• Alan Turing — Shared historical date (06-07 · Died) (1954): Father of theoretical computer science, known for the Turing machine and codebreaking.
• Adrien Brody — Shared historical date (04-14 · Born) (1973): Acclaimed American actor known for intense, emotionally charged character portrayals.
• Ali Akbar Khan — Shared historical date (04-14 · Born) (1922): Master sarod virtuoso who popularized Hindustani classical music in the West.
• 1893 Historical Timeline & Archive — Explore world events and figures from 1893
• June 7 (06-07) On This Day — Historical birthdays and events on June 7
• 1938 Historical Timeline & Archive — Explore world events and figures from 1938
• April 14 (04-14) On This Day — Historical events and memorials on April 14