On this day in history, “The Greatest” Muhammad Ali was born 

January 17, 1942

Muhammad Ali was born Cassius Marcellus Clay Jr in Louisville, Kentucky. 

Ali, nicknamed “The Greatest,” won Olympic gold and the heavyweight crown three times during a 61-fight career in which he is best remembered for his historic clashes with Sonny Liston, Joe Frazier and George Foreman. 

His stances on the Vietnam War and racial inequality established him as one of the most significant and influential sportsman of the 20th century.