Fortune Everett Gordien was an American athlete who competed mainly in the discus throw. Born in Spokane, Washington he competed for the United States in the 1948 Summer Olympics held in London, Great Britain in the discus throw where he won the bronze medal behind two Italians, Adolfo Consolini and Giuseppe Tosi. He failed to medal in the 1952 Olympics but improved to his best Olympic performance with a silver medal, behind the great Al Oerter, in the 1956 Summer Olympics held in Melbourne, Australia. According to the Guinness Book of Track and Field: Facts and Feats, the smallest crowd ever to see a world record may have been 48, the number attending a Pasadena, California all-comers track meet in 1953 when Fortune Gordien broke the discus record. His mark of 194 feet 6 inches lasted as the world record for six years. 

September 9th, 1922 in Spokane  /  Died:   Apr 10th, 1990