The first world record

World record

A world record is usually the best global performance ever recorded and verified in a specific skill or sport. The book Guinness World Records collates and publishes notable records of all types, from first and best to worst human achievements, to extremes in the natural world and beyond...

in the 400 m for men (athletics) was recognized by the International Amateur Athletics Federation, now known as the International Association of Athletics Federations

International Association of Athletics Federations

The International Association of Athletics Federations is the international governing body for the sport of athletics. It was founded in 1912 at its first congress in Stockholm, Sweden by representatives from 17 national athletics federations as the International Amateur Athletics Federation...

, in 1912. The IAAF ratified Charles Reidpath's 48.2 performance set at that year's Stockholm Olympics as a world record, but it also recognized the superior mark over 440 yards (402.34 metres) run by Maxie Long in 1900 as a world record.

To June 21, 2009, the IAAF has ratified 23 world records in the event.

The following tables show the world record progression in the men's 400 metres, as ratified by the IAAF.

Records 1900–1976

Time	Auto	Athlete	Nationality	Location of race	Date
47.8y		Maxie Long		New York New York City New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and... , USA United States The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...	September 29, 1900
48.2		Charles Reidpath Charles Reidpath Charles Decker Reidpath was an American athlete, winner of two gold medals at the 1912 Summer Olympics, who later went on to have an outstanding military career.-Biography:...		Stockholm Stockholm Stockholm is the capital and the largest city of Sweden and constitutes the most populated urban area in Scandinavia. Stockholm is the most populous city in Sweden, with a population of 851,155 in the municipality , 1.37 million in the urban area , and around 2.1 million in the metropolitan area... , Sweden Sweden Sweden , officially the Kingdom of Sweden , is a Nordic country on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. Sweden borders with Norway and Finland and is connected to Denmark by a bridge-tunnel across the Öresund....	July 13, 1912
47.4y		Ted Meredith Ted Meredith James Edwin "Ted" Meredith was an American athlete, winner of two gold medals at the 1912 Summer Olympics.He was born in Chester Heights, Pennsylvania and died in Camden, New Jersey, aged 65...		Cambridge Cambridge, Massachusetts Cambridge is a city in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, United States, in the Greater Boston area. It was named in honor of the University of Cambridge in England, an important center of the Puritan theology embraced by the town's founders. Cambridge is home to two of the world's most prominent... , USA United States The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...	May 27, 1916
47.0		Emerson Spencer Emerson Spencer Emerson Lane "Bud" Spencer was an American athlete, winner of gold medal in 4x400 m relay at the 1928 Summer Olympics....		Palo Alto Palo Alto, California Palo Alto is a California charter city located in the northwest corner of Santa Clara County, in the San Francisco Bay Area of California, United States. The city shares its borders with East Palo Alto, Mountain View, Los Altos, Los Altos Hills, Stanford, Portola Valley, and Menlo Park. It is... , USA United States The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...	May 12, 1928
46.4y		Ben Eastman Ben Eastman Benjamin "Ben" Bangs Eastman , alias "Blazin' Ben", was an American middle distance runner. He was born in Burlingame, California, and graduated from Stanford University in 1933....		Palo Alto Palo Alto, California Palo Alto is a California charter city located in the northwest corner of Santa Clara County, in the San Francisco Bay Area of California, United States. The city shares its borders with East Palo Alto, Mountain View, Los Altos, Los Altos Hills, Stanford, Portola Valley, and Menlo Park. It is... , California California California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area... , USA United States The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...	March 26, 1932
46.2	46.28	Bill Carr Bill Carr William Arthur Carr was an American athlete, a double Olympic champion in 1932.Born in Pine Bluff, Arkansas, Carr studied at Mercersburg Academy and the University of Pennsylvania, where he was coached by 1904 Olympian Lawson Robertson...		Los Angeles Los Angeles, California Los Angeles , with a population at the 2010 United States Census of 3,792,621, is the most populous city in California, USA and the second most populous in the United States, after New York City. It has an area of , and is located in Southern California... , USA United States The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...	August 5, 1932
46.1		Archie Williams Archie Williams Archibald Franklin Williams was an African-American athlete and teacher, winner of 400 meter run at the 1936 Summer Olympics....		Chicago Chicago Chicago is the largest city in the US state of Illinois. With nearly 2.7 million residents, it is the most populous city in the Midwestern United States and the third most populous in the US, after New York City and Los Angeles... , USA United States The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...	June 19, 1936
46.0		Rudolf Harbig Rudolf Harbig Rudolf Harbig was a German middle distance runner best known for the 800 metres world record that he set in Milan in 1939.-Life:...		Frankfurt am Main, Germany Germany Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...	August 12, 1939
		Grover Klemmer		Philadelphia, USA United States The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...	June 6, 1941
46.0y		Herb McKenley Herb McKenley Competitor for JamaicaHerbert Henry "Herb" McKenley OM was a Jamaican athlete, winner of a gold medal in the 4x400 m relay at the 1952 Summer Olympics....		Berkeley Berkeley, California Berkeley is a city on the east shore of the San Francisco Bay in Northern California, United States. Its neighbors to the south are the cities of Oakland and Emeryville. To the north is the city of Albany and the unincorporated community of Kensington... , USA United States The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...	June 5, 1948
45.9	46.00	Herb McKenley Herb McKenley Competitor for JamaicaHerbert Henry "Herb" McKenley OM was a Jamaican athlete, winner of a gold medal in the 4x400 m relay at the 1952 Summer Olympics....		Milwaukee, USA United States The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...	July 2, 1948
45.8		George Rhoden George Rhoden Competitor for JamaicaVincent George Rhoden is a former Jamaican athlete, winner of two Olympic gold medals in 1952....		Eskilstuna Eskilstuna Eskilstuna is a city and the seat of Eskilstuna Municipality, Södermanland County, Sweden with 60,185 inhabitants in 2005. Eskilstuna has a large Sweden Finn population.... , Sweden Sweden Sweden , officially the Kingdom of Sweden , is a Nordic country on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. Sweden borders with Norway and Finland and is connected to Denmark by a bridge-tunnel across the Öresund....	August 22, 1950
45.4	45.68	Lou Jones		Mexico City Mexico City Mexico City is the Federal District , capital of Mexico and seat of the federal powers of the Mexican Union. It is a federal entity within Mexico which is not part of any one of the 31 Mexican states but belongs to the federation as a whole... , Mexico Mexico The United Mexican States , commonly known as Mexico , is a federal constitutional republic in North America. It is bordered on the north by the United States; on the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; on the southeast by Guatemala, Belize, and the Caribbean Sea; and on the east by the Gulf of...	March 18, 1955
45.2		Lou Jones		Los Angeles Los Angeles, California Los Angeles , with a population at the 2010 United States Census of 3,792,621, is the most populous city in California, USA and the second most populous in the United States, after New York City. It has an area of , and is located in Southern California... , USA United States The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...	June 30, 1956
44.9	45.07	Otis Davis Otis Davis For the baseball player, see Otis Davis Otis Crandall Davis is a former American athlete, winner of two gold medals at the 1960 Summer Olympics....		Rome Rome Rome is the capital of Italy and the country's largest and most populated city and comune, with over 2.7 million residents in . The city is located in the central-western portion of the Italian Peninsula, on the Tiber River within the Lazio region of Italy.Rome's history spans two and a half... , Italy Italy Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...	September 6, 1960
	45.08	Carl Kaufmann Carl Kaufmann Carl Kaufmann was a West German former athlete who competed mainly in the 400 metres....		Rome Rome Rome is the capital of Italy and the country's largest and most populated city and comune, with over 2.7 million residents in . The city is located in the central-western portion of the Italian Peninsula, on the Tiber River within the Lazio region of Italy.Rome's history spans two and a half... , Italy Italy Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...	September 6, 1960
44.9y		Adolph Plummer		Tempe Tempe, Arizona Tempe is a city in Maricopa County, Arizona, USA, with the Census Bureau reporting a 2010 population of 161,719. The city is named after the Vale of Tempe in Greece. Tempe is located in the East Valley section of metropolitan Phoenix; it is bordered by Phoenix and Guadalupe on the west, Scottsdale... , USA United States The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...	May 25, 1963
44.9		Mike Larrabee		Los Angeles Los Angeles, California Los Angeles , with a population at the 2010 United States Census of 3,792,621, is the most populous city in California, USA and the second most populous in the United States, after New York City. It has an area of , and is located in Southern California... , USA United States The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...	September 12, 1964
44.5+		Tommie Smith Tommie Smith Tommie Smith is an African American former track & field athlete and wide receiver in the American Football League. At the 1968 Summer Olympics, Smith won the 200-meter dash finals in 19.83 seconds – the first time the 20 second barrier was broken...		San Jose San Jose, California San Jose is the third-largest city in California, the tenth-largest in the U.S., and the county seat of Santa Clara County which is located at the southern end of San Francisco Bay... , USA United States The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...	May 20, 1967
44.1	44.19	Larry James Larry James George Lawrence "Larry" James was an American track athlete.-Biography:James was born on November 6, 1947, in Mount Pleasant, New York, and took up track in seventh grade...		Echo Summit, USA United States The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...	September 14, 1968
43.8	43.86	Lee Evans Lee Evans (athlete) Lee Edward Evans is a former American athlete, winner of two gold medals at the 1968 Summer Olympics....		Mexico City Mexico City Mexico City is the Federal District , capital of Mexico and seat of the federal powers of the Mexican Union. It is a federal entity within Mexico which is not part of any one of the 31 Mexican states but belongs to the federation as a whole... , Mexico Mexico The United Mexican States , commonly known as Mexico , is a federal constitutional republic in North America. It is bordered on the north by the United States; on the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; on the southeast by Guatemala, Belize, and the Caribbean Sea; and on the east by the Gulf of...	October 18, 1968

(+) plus sign denotes en route time during longer race

"y" denotes time for 440 yards

440-yard dash

The 440-yard dash, or quarter-mile race, is a sprint race in track and field competitions.In many countries, athletes previously competed in the 440 yard dash – also referred to as the 'quarter-mile'...

, ratified as a record for this event

Records post-1976

From 1975, the IAAF accepted separate automatically electronically timed records for events up to 400 metres. Starting January 1, 1977, the IAAF required fully automatic timing to the hundredth of a second for these events.

Lee Evans' 1968 Olympic gold medal victory time of 43.86 was the fastest recorded result to that time.

Time	Athlete	Nationality	Location of race	Date
43.86	Lee Evans Lee Evans (athlete) Lee Edward Evans is a former American athlete, winner of two gold medals at the 1968 Summer Olympics....		Mexico City Mexico City Mexico City is the Federal District , capital of Mexico and seat of the federal powers of the Mexican Union. It is a federal entity within Mexico which is not part of any one of the 31 Mexican states but belongs to the federation as a whole... , Mexico Mexico The United Mexican States , commonly known as Mexico , is a federal constitutional republic in North America. It is bordered on the north by the United States; on the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; on the southeast by Guatemala, Belize, and the Caribbean Sea; and on the east by the Gulf of...	October 18, 1968
43.29	Butch Reynolds Butch Reynolds Harry "Butch" Reynolds is an American former track and field athlete who competed in the 400 meter dash. He held the world record for the event for eleven years with his personal best time of 43.29 seconds set in 1988. That year he was the silver medalist at the 1988 Seoul Olympics and a...		Zürich Zürich Zurich is the largest city in Switzerland and the capital of the canton of Zurich. It is located in central Switzerland at the northwestern tip of Lake Zurich... , Switzerland Switzerland Switzerland name of one of the Swiss cantons. ; ; ; or ), in its full name the Swiss Confederation , is a federal republic consisting of 26 cantons, with Bern as the seat of the federal authorities. The country is situated in Western Europe,Or Central Europe depending on the definition....	August 17, 1988
43.18	Michael Johnson Michael Johnson (athlete) Michael Duane Johnson is a retired American sprinter. He won four Olympic gold medals and eight world championship gold medals. Johnson currently holds the world and Olympic records in the 400 m and 4 x 400 meters relay. He formerly held the world and Olympic record in the 200 m, and the world...		Seville Seville Seville is the artistic, historic, cultural, and financial capital of southern Spain. It is the capital of the autonomous community of Andalusia and of the province of Seville. It is situated on the plain of the River Guadalquivir, with an average elevation of above sea level... , Spain Spain Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...	August 26, 1999