The first world record in the men's shot put was recognised by the International Association of Athletics Federations in 1912.
That inaugural record was the 15.54 m performance by Ralph Rose in 1909.
[1] As of June 21, 2009, 51 world records have been ratified by the IAAF in the event.
Rose's 1909 record lasted almost 19 years, and the record was untouched for almost a dozen years surrounding World War II.
Since 1954, marks set in Los Angeles have stood for 42 of those years and counting.