On this day, seventy-seven Italian drivers set off from Brescia in the north of Italy in the first “Mille Miglia” (Thousand Miles) open-road automobile endurance race. The race, a figure-eight shaped course from Brescia to Rome and back, took place in Italy 24 times from 1927 to 1957 (13 times before World War II, and 11 times from 1947). It was established by the young Counts Aymo Maggi and Franco Mazzotti, apparently in response to the Italian Grand Prix being moved from their home town of Brescia to Monza. Entry was strictly restricted to unmodified production cars, and the entrance fee was set at a nominal 1 lira. The winner, Giuseppe Morandi, completed the course in just under 21 hours 5 minutes, averaging nearly 78 km/h. Known for its danger, not only to drivers, but also to spectators, during its 30-year history, a total of 56 people died: 24 drivers/co-drivers and 32 spectators.
