Men's discus throw world record progression
The first world record in the men's discus was recognised by the International Association of Athletics Federations in 1912, and was set by James Duncan in 1912.
As of 2011, 42 world records have been ratified by the IAAF in the event. Another 14 are acknowledged but are unofficial since they were set before the founding of IAAF.
Outdoor progression
| Mark | Athlete | Date | Location |
| 27 May 1912 | New York | ||
| 14 September 1924 | Chicago | ||
| 2 May 1925 | San Francisco | ||
| 3 April 1926 | Palo Alto, California | ||
| 9 April 1929 | Palo Alto | ||
| 17 May 1930 | Palo Alto | ||
| 23 August 1930 | Pittsburgh | ||
| 25 August 1934 | Oslo | ||
| 28 April 1935 | Magdeburg, Germany | ||
| 20 June 1941 | Palo Alto | ||
| 26 October 1941 | Milan | ||
| 14 April 1946 | Milan | ||
| 8 June 1946 | Minneapolis, Minnesota | ||
| 10 October 1948 | Milan | ||
| 9 July 1949 | Lisbon | ||
| 14 August 1949 | Hämeenlinna, Finland | ||
| 20 June 1953 | Lincoln, Nebraska | ||
| 11 July 1953 | Pasadena, California | ||
| 22 August 1953 | Pasadena | ||
| 14 June 1959 | Warsaw | ||
| 12 August 1960 | Walnut, California | ||
| 11 August 1961 | Frankfurt, West Germany | ||
| 20 August 1961 | Brussels, Belgium | ||
| 18 May 1962 | Los Angeles | ||
| 4 June 1962 | Leningrad, USSR | ||
| 1 July 1962 | Chicago | ||
| 27 April 1963 | Walnut | ||
| 25 April 1964 | Walnut | ||
| 2 August 1964 | Turnov, Czechoslovakia | ||
| 12 October 1965 | Sokolov, Czechoslovakia | ||
| 25 May 1968 | Modesto, California | ||
| 18 September 1968 | Reno, Nevada | ||
| 5 July 1972 | Stockholm | ||
| 14 March 1975 | Stellenbosch, South Africa | ||
| 3 May 1975 | Long Beach, California | ||
| 24 April 1976 | Walnut | ||
| 1 May 1976 | San Jose, California | ||
| 1 May 1976 | San Jose | ||
| 1 May 1976 | San Jose | ||
| 9 August 1978 | Berlin | ||
| 29 May 1983 | Moscow | ||
| 6 June 1986 | Neubrandenburg, East Germany |
On July 7, 1981 Ben Plucknett of the United States won a meet in Stockholm with a world record throw of, but the record was nullified by the I.A.A.F. one week later when they announced that Plucknett had tested positive for the banned anabolic steroid nortestosterone.