 Details | | 2024 | Quincy HALL | | 43.40 | Matthew HUDSON-SMITH | | 43.44 | Muzala SAMUKONGA | | 43.74 | 7 Aug | |
| Details | | 2021 | Steven GARDINER | | 43.85 | Anthony ZAMBRANO | | 44.08 | Kirani JAMES | | 44.19 | 1–5 Aug | |
| Details | | 2016 | Wayde VAN NIEKERK | | 43.03 | Kirani JAMES | | 43.76 | LaShawn MERRITT | | 43.85 | 12–14 Aug | |
| Details | | 2012 | Kirani JAMES | | 43.94 | Luguelín SANTOS | | 44.46 | Lalonde GORDON | | 44.52 | 6 Aug | |
| Details | | 2008 | LaShawn MERRITT | | 43.75 | Jeremy WARINER | | 44.74 | David NEVILLE | | 44.80 | | |
| Details | | 2004 | Jeremy WARINER | | 44.00 | Otis HARRIS | | 44.16 | Derrick BREW | | 44.42 | | |
| Details | | 2000 | Michael JOHNSON | | 43.84 | Alvin HARRISON | | 44.40 | Gregory HAUGHTON | | 44.70 | 25 Sep | |
| Details | | 1996 | Michael JOHNSON | | 43.49 | Roger BLACK | | 44.41 | Davis KAMOGA | | 44.53 | 29 Jul | |
| Details | | 1992 | Quincy WATTS | | 43.50 | Steve LEWIS | | 44.21 | Samson KITUR | | 44.24 | 5 Aug | |
| Details | | 1988 | Steve LEWIS | | 43.87 | Butch REYNOLDS | | 43.93 | Danny EVERETT | | 44.09 | 28 Sep | |
| Details | | 1984 | Alonzo BABERS | | 44.27 | Gabriel TIACOH | | 44.54 | Antonio MCKAY | | 44.71 | 8 Aug | |
| Details | | 1980 | Viktor MARKIN | | 44.60 | Rick MITCHELL | | 44.84 | Frank SCHAFFER | | 44.87 | 30 Jul | |
| Details | | 1976 | Alberto JUANTORENA | | 44.26 | Fred NEWHOUSE | | 44.40 | Herman FRAZIER | | 44.95 | 29 Jul | |
| Details | | 1972 | Vincent MATTHEWS | | 44.66 | Wayne COLLETT | | 44.80 | Julius SANG | | 44.92 | 7 Sep | |
| Details | | 1968 | Lee EVANS | | 43.86 | Larry JAMES | | 43.9 – 43.97 | Ron FREEMAN | | 44.4 – 44.41 | 18 Oct | |
| Details | | 1964 | Mike LARRABEE | | 45.10 | Wendell MOTTLEY | | 45.2 | Andrzej BADEŃSKI | | 45.6 | 19 Oct | |
| Details | | 1960 | Otis DAVIS | | 44.90 | Carl KAUFMANN | | 44.9 – 45.08 | Malcolm SPENCE | | 45.5 – 45.60 | 6 Sep | |
| Details | | 1956 | Charles JENKINS | | 46.70 | Karl-Friedrich HAAS | | 46.8 – 47.12 | Voitto HELLSTÉN | | 47.0 – 47.15 | 29 Nov | |
| Details | | 1952 | George RHODEN | | 45.90 | Herb MCKENLEY | | 46.20 | Ollie MATSON | | 46.94 | 25 Jul | |
| Details | | 1948 | Arthur WINT | | 46.20 | Herb MCKENLEY | | 46.4 | Mal WHITFIELD | | 46.9 | 5 Aug | |
| Details | | 1936 | Archie WILLIAMS | | 46.50 | Godfrey BROWN | | 46.7 | James LUVALLE | | 46.8 | 7 Aug | |
| Details | | 1932 | William CARR | | 46.20 | Ben EASTMAN | | 46.5 | Alex WILSON | | 47.4 | 5 Aug | |
| Details | | 1928 | Raymond BARBUTTI | | 47.80 | James BALL | | 48.0 | Joachim BUCHNER | | 48.2 | 3 Aug | |
| Details | | 1924 | Eric LIDDELL | | 47.60 | Horatio FITCH | | 48.4 | Guy BUTLER | | 48.6 | 11 Jul | |
| Details | | 1920 | Bevil RUDD | | 49.60 | Guy BUTLER | | 49.9 | Nils ENGDAHL | | 49.9 | 20 Aug | |
| Details | | 1912 | Charles REIDPATH | | 48.20 | Hanns BRAUN | | 48.3 | Edward LINDBERG | | 48.4 | 13 Jul | |
| Details |  DNS - William Robbins (USA)
DNS - John Taylor (USA)
DSQ - John Carpenter (USA) | 1908 | Wyndham HALSWELL | | 50.00 | - | - | 23 Jul | |
| Details | | 1904 | Harry HILLMAN | | 49.20 | Frank WALLER | | 49.9 | Herman GROMAN | | 50.0 | 29 Aug | |
| Details | | 1900 | Maxwell LONG | | 49.40 | William HOLLAND | | (49.6) | Ernst SCHULTZ | | (51.5) | 15 Jul | |
| Details | | 1896 | Thomas BURKE | | 54.20 | Herbert JAMISON | | 55.2 | Charles GMELIN | | 56.7 | 7 Apr | |
