Thomas J. Hicks (January 7, 1875 – December 2, 1963) was an American track and field athlete, winner of the Olympic marathon in 1904. January 7 is the 7th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... 1875 was a common year starting on Friday (see link for calendar). ... December 2 is the 336th day (337th on leap years) of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... 1963 was a common year starting on Tuesday (link will take you to calendar). ... Athletics, also known as track and field or track and field athletics, is a collection of sport events. ... For months before the Olympic Games, runners relay the Olympic Flame from Olympia to the opening ceremony. ... Although marathon sometimes refers to any athletic event requiring great endurance, more specifically it refers to a long-distance track event of 42,195 m (26 miles and 385 yards). ...

Hicks, a brass worker from Cambridge, Massachusetts who had been born in England and won a second place at the 1904 Boston Marathon, was the winner of a remarkable marathon race at the 1904 Summer Olympics, held as part of the World Fair in St. Louis, Missouri. Conditions were bad, the course being a dirt track, with large clouds of dust produced by the accompanying vehicles. Hicks was not the first to cross the finish line, trailing Fred Lorz. However, Lorz had abandoned the race after 9 miles. After covering most of the course by car, he re-entered the race shortly before the finish. This was found out by the officials, who disqualified Lorz, who claimed it had only been a joke. Harvard Square, May 2000 Cambridge is a city in the Greater Boston area in Massachusetts, United States. ... Royal motto: Dieu et mon droit (French: God and my right) Englands location within the UK Official language English de facto Capital London de facto Largest city London Area  - Total Ranked 1st UK 130,395 km² Population  - Total (2001)  - Density Ranked 1st UK 49,138,831 377/km² Religion... The 100th running of the Boston Marathon, 1996 The Boston Marathon is an annual marathon sporting event hosted by the city of Boston, Massachusetts on Patriots Day, the third Monday of April each year. ... The 1904 Summer Olympics, formally known as the Games of the III Olympiad, were held in St. ... The Gateway Arch, shown here behind the Old Courthouse, is the most recognizable part of the St. ... Missouri, named after the Missouri Siouan Indian tribe meaning canoe, is a Midwestern state of the United States with Jefferson City as its capital. ...

Had the race been run under current rules, Hicks too would have been disqualified, as he had been given a dose of 1/60th of a grain (roughly 1 mg.) of strychnine and some brandy by his assistants as he was flagging badly during the race; the first dose of strychnine did not revive him for long, so he was given another. As a result, he collapsed after crossing the finishing line. Another dose may well have proved fatal. Both these drugs are now forbidden for athletes. Strychnine (pronounced (British) or (U.S.)) is a very toxic (LD50 = 1 mg/kg), colourless crystalline alkaloid used as a pesticide, particularly for killing small vertebrates such as rodents. ... Brandy pot stills at the Van Ryn Brandy Cellar near Stellenbosch, South Africa For the singer and actress, see Brandy Norwood. ... Strychnine (pronounced (British) or (U.S.)) is a very toxic (LD50 = 1 mg/kg), colourless crystalline alkaloid used as a pesticide, particularly for killing small vertebrates such as rodents. ...