According to Runner's World magazine, the progression of world record times for males is as follows (http://www.runnersworld.com/): The data are given in a better form in the file "mile.dat". 1 Mile Professionals: 4:28.0 Charles Westhall (GBR) London 26Jul52 4:28.0 Thomas Horspool (GBR) Manchester 28Sep57 4:23.0 Thomas Horspool (GBR) Manchester 12Jul58 4:22 1/4 Siah Albison (GBR) Manchester 27Oct60 4:21 3/4 William Lang (GBR) Manchester 11Jul63 4:20 1/2 Edward Mills (GBR) Manchester 23Apr64 4:17 1/4 William Lang (GBR) Manchester 19Aug65 4:17 1/4 William Richards (GBR) Manchester 19Aug65 4:16 1/5 William Cummings (GBR) Preston 14May81 4:12 3/4 Walter George (GBR) London 23Aug86 Amateurs: 4:52.0 Cadet Marshall (GBR) Addiscombe 02Sep52 4:45.0 Thomas Finch (GBR) Oxford 03Nov58 4:45.0 St. Vincent Hammick (GBR) Oxford 15Nov58 4:40.0 Gerald Surman (GBR) Oxford 24Nov59 4:33.0 George Farran (IRL) Dublin 23May62 4:29 3/5 Walter Chinnery (GBR) Cambridge 10Mar68 4:28 4/5 William Gibbs (GBR) London 03Apr68 4:28 3/5 Charles Gunton (GBR) London 31Mar73 4:26.0 Walter Slade (GBR) London 30May74 4:24 1/2 Walter Slade (GBR) London 19Jun75 4:23 1/5 Walter George (GBR) London 16Aug80 4:19 2/5 Walter George (GBR) London 03Jun82 4:18 2/5 Walter George (GBR) Birmingham 21Jun84 4:17 4/5 Thomas Conneff (USA) Cambridge, Mass. 26Aug93 4:17.0 Fred Bacon (GBR) London 06Jul95 4:15 3/5 Thomas Conneff (USA) New York 28Aug95 4:15 2/5 John Paul Jones (USA) Cambridge, Mass. 27May11 IAAF era: 4:14.4 John Paul Jones (USA) Cambridge, Mass. 31May13 4:12.6 Norman Taber (USA) Cambridge, Mass. 16Jul15 4:10.4 Paavo Nurmi (FIN) Stockholm 23Aug23 4:09 1/5 Jules Ladoumegue (FRA) Paris 04Oct31 4:07.6 Jack Lovelock (NZL) Princeton 15Jul33 4:06.8 Glenn Cunningham (USA) Princeton 16Jun34 4:06.4 Sydney Wooderson (GBR) London 28Aug37 4:06.2 (4:06.1) Gunder Hagg (SWE) Gothenburg 01Jul42 4:06.2 Arne Andersson (SWE) Stockholm 10Jul42 4:04.6 Gunder Hagg (SWE) Stockholm 04Sep42 4:02.6 Arne Andersson (SWE) Gothenburg 01Jul43 4:01.6 Arne Andersson (SWE) Malmo 18Jul44 4:01.4 (4:01.3) Gunder Hagg (SWE) Malmo 17Jul45 3:59.4 Roger Bannister (GBR) Oxford 06May54 3:58.0 (3:57.9) John Landy (AUS) Turku 21Jun54 3:57.2 Derek Ibbotson (GBR) London 19Jul57 3:54.5 Herb Elliott (AUS) Dublin 06Aug58 3:54.4 Peter Snell (NZL) Wanganui 27Jan62 3:54.1 (3:54.04) Peter Snell (NZL) Auckland 17Nov64 3:53.6 Michel Jazy (FRA) Rennes 09Jun65 3:51.3 Jim Ryun (USA) Berkeley 17Jul66 3:51.1 Jim Ryun (USA) Bakersfield 23Jun67 3:51.0 Filbert Bayi (TAN) Kingston 17May75 3:49.4 John Walker (NZL) Gothenburg 12Aug75 3:49.0 (3:48.95) Sebastian Coe (GBR) Oslo 17Jul79 3:48.8 Steve Ovett (GBR) Oslo 01Jul80 timing to hundredths: 3:48.53 Sebastian Coe (GBR) Zurich 19Aug81 3:48.40 Steve Ovett (GBR) Koblenz 26Aug81 3:47.33 Sebastian Coe (GBR) Brussels 28Aug81 3:46.32 Steve Cram (GBR) Oslo 27Jul85 3:44.39 Noureddine Morceli (ALG) Rieti 05Sep93 3:43.13 Hicham el Guerrouj (MOR) Rome 07Jul99