Norman Manley was an exceptional athlete. His most impressive performance was a 10-second time in the 100-meter sprint in 1911.
His record stood for an astounding 41 years. Usain Bolt’s 2009 record is 9.58, so Manley was only a two-tenths of a second behind.
Norman Manley was instrumental in the negotiation for universal adult suffrage, which was approved into law in 1944 and gave Jamaican citizens the right to vote for their leaders.
At that time the island nation was still ruled by the British, but it was the first step toward independence.
