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FSFI era:
53" 8y Leonia High School, USA, Oaksmere 1922
53" 2 Czechoslovakia TCH, 21 MAy 22, Paris
51" 4/51.8y Great Britain & N.Ireland GBR, 20 Aug 22,  Paris
51" 0y George School USA, Georgetown 1924
50" 2y Totonto Ladies Club CAN, 19 Sep 25, Toronto
50" 4 Berliner Sport-Club GER, 11 Jul 26, Köln
50" 2y Great Britain & N.Ireland GBR, 29 Aug 26, Göteborg
49" 8y Great Britain & N.Ireland GBR, 29 Aug 26, Göteborg
50" 0 Viktoria Magdeburg GER, 07 Aug 27, Breslau
49" 9 Germany GER, 03 Jun 28, Berlin
49" 8 Germany GER, 10 Jun 28, Braunschweig
50" 0 Linnets Saint-Maur FRA, 15 Jul 28, Paris
49" 8 TSV München 1860 GER, 15 Jul 28, Berlin
49" 3 Canada CAN, 04 Aug 28, Amsterdam
48" 4 Canada CAN, 04 Aug 28, Amsterdam
49" 4y Millrose AA USA, 04 Jul 30, Dallas
49" 4y Illinois Women AA USA, 16 Jul 32, Chicago
46" 9 United States USA, 07 Aug 32, Los Angeles
48" 7y Silverwood Lakesiders TC CAN, 03 Sep 33, Toronto
48" 6y Chicago Park District USA, 02 Jul 34, Toronto
46" 6 Germany GER, 21 Jun 36, Koln
46" 5 Germany GER, 21 Jun 36,  Köln
IAAF era:
49".8y Great Britain & N.Ireland GBR, 09 Aug 36, Göteborg
46".4 Germany GER, 08 Aug 36, Berlin
48".8y Netherlands NED, 18 MAy 44, Amsterdam
48".4y New South Wales AUS, 26 Jan 48, Sydney
47".4y Netherlands NED, 27 Jul 48, Rijswijk
47".3y South Africa SAF, 26 Mar 51, Pretoria
46".9y Australia AUS, 05 Jul 52, London
46".1 (46"22) Australia AUS, 27 Jul 52, Helsinki
45".9 (46"14) United States USA, 27 Jul 52, Helsinki
45".9 (46"18) Germany GER, 27 Jul 52, Helsinki
46".3y Australia AUS, 04 Aug 52, London
45".6 USSR URS, 20 Sep 53, Budapest
45".6 USSR URS, 11 Sep 55, Moskva
45".2 USSR URS, 27 Jul 56, Kiev
45".2 German Democratic Republic GDR, 12 Aug 56, Erfurt
45".2 Great Britain & N.Ireland GBR, 29 Sep 56, Budapest
45".1 Germany GER, 30 Sep 56, Dresden
44".9 (45"00) Australia AUS, 01 Dec 56, Melbourne
44".9 (45"07) Germany GER, 01 Dec 56, Melbourne
44".5 (44"65) Australia AUS, 01 Dec 56, Melbourne
45".6y Australia AUS, 05 Dec 56, Sydney
45".3y (45"37) England GBR, 26 Jul 58, Cardiff
44".4 (44"51) United States USA, 07 Sep 60, Roma
44".3 United States USA, 15 Jul 61, Moskva
45".2y Great Britain & N.Ireland GBR, 05 Aug 63, London
44".2 Poland POL, 13 Sep 64, Lódz
43".6 (43"69) Poland # POL, 21 Oct 64, Tokyo
43".9 (43"92) United States, USA 21 Oct 64, Tokyo
43".9 USSR URS, 16 Aug 68, Leninakan
45".0y Great Britain & N.Ireland GBR, 14 Sep 68, Portsmouth
43".6 USSR URS, 27 Sep 68, Ciudad de México
43".4a (43"50) United States USA, 19 Oct 68, Ciudad de México
43".4a (43"49) Netherlands NED, 19 Oct 68, Ciudad de México
42".8a (42"88) United States USA, 20 Oct 68, Ciudad de México
44".7y Tennessee State TC USA, 09 Jul 71, Bakersfield
42".8a (42"81) Federal Republic of Germany FRG, 10 Sep 72, München
42".6 German Democratic Republic GDR, 01 Sep 73, Potsdam
44".2y USSR URS, 05 Jul 74, Durham, NC
42".6 German Democratic Republic GDR, 24 Aug 74, Berlin

The following mark was the final performance of the hand-timing era to be ratified by the IAAF as a world record:
42".5a (42"51) German Democratic Republic GDR, 08 Sep 74, Roma

Electric timing (Official from 1 Jan 1975):
42" 51. German Democratic Republic GDR, 08 Sep 74, Roma
42" 50. German Democratic Republic GDR, 29 May 76, Karl-Marx-Stadt
42" 27. German Democratic Republic GDR, 19 Aug 78, Potsdam
42" 10. German Democratic Republic GDR, 10 Jun 79, Karl-Marx-Stadt
42" 09. German Democratic Republic GDR, 04 Aug 79, Torino
42" 09. German Democratic Republic GDR, 09 Jul 80, Berlin
41" 85. German Democratic Republic GDR, 13 Jul 80, Potsdam
41" 60. German Democratic Republic GDR, 01 Aug 80, Moskva
41" 53. German Democratic Republic GDR, 31 Jul 83, Berlin
41" 37. German Democratic Republic GDR, 06 Oct 85, Canberra

Best low altitude marks set while a high-altitude world record (in parentheses) was standing:
43" 6a (43"61) German Democratic Republic (42.88) GDR, 20 Sep 69, Athínai
43" 5 German Democratic Republic (42"88) GDR, 05 Aug 71,  Berlin
43" 3a (43"28) Federal Republic of Germany (42.88) FRG, 15 Aug 71,  Helsinki
42" 88 German Democratic Republic GDR, 09 Sep 72, München

#   Record retrospectively disallowed following the exclusion of Ewa Klobukowska
y  denotes 4 x 110 yards