The first athlete to run a mile in under four minutes was Roger Bannister. He achieved this remarkable feat on May 6, 1954, in Oxford, England, clocking a time of 3 minutes and 59.4 seconds. Bannister's accomplishment was a significant milestone in athletics and inspired many others to pursue distance running. His record stood for just 46 days before it was broken again, but Bannister is still celebrated for being the first to break the four-minute barrier.