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Mark Plaatjes

Mark Plaatjes, South African-American runner and coach

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Born
June 2, 1962
Age in 2026
64
Zodiac sign
Gemini
Birth year
1962

About Mark Plaatjes

Mark Plaatjes is a former marathon runner who was champion at the 1993 World Championships in Athletics in Stuttgart. He sought political asylum in the United States in 1988, saying "I didn't want my daughter to grow up in a country where she felt inferior." In 1991 Plaatjes won the Los Angeles Marathon in 2:10:29. Plaatjes became the first American to win a gold medal in any long-distance event at the World Championships. On 24 July 1993, Plaatjes became a citizen of the U.S., just three weeks before the World Championships.

Biography source: Wikipedia. The profile adds birthday-specific historical context from the Celebs Birthday Today editorial database.

Mark Plaatjes timeline

  1. He sought political asylum in the United States in 1988, saying "I didn't want my daughter to grow up in a country where she felt inferior." In 1991 Plaatjes won the Los Angeles Marathon in 2:10:29.
  2. On 24 July 1993, Plaatjes became a citizen of the U.S., just three weeks before the World Championships.

The world when Mark Plaatjes was born

Mark Plaatjes was born in 1962. The year snapshot below places that birthday in its cultural and historical setting: the music and films people were following, the headlines shaping public life, and the everyday prices families encountered.

Culture in 1962

  • #1 song"I Can't Stop Loving You" – Ray Charles
  • Top movieLawrence of Arabia
  • Top TV showThe Beverly Hillbillies
  • Best-selling bookA Clockwork Orange – Anthony Burgess

Headlines and milestones

  • Major sports momentWilt Chamberlain scores 100 points in a single NBA game
  • Top headlineCuban Missile Crisis — world comes closest to nuclear war
  • Technology milestoneJohn Glenn orbits the Earth
  • Defining fadJames Bond mania (Dr. No released)
  • Notable inventionLED (light-emitting diode)
  • World population3.14 billion

United States snapshot

  • U.S. leaderJohn F. Kennedy
  • Sports championNew York Yankees (World Series)
  • Also wonBoston Celtics (NBA)
  • U.S. population186.5M

1962 versus 2026

These figures put everyday life in Mark Plaatjes's birth year beside the site's latest United States snapshot.

Measure19622026
Gas$0.31$3.45/gal
Average home$12,800$435,000
Average income$7,900$67,500
Minimum wage$1.15$7.25/hr (federal)
Movie ticket$0.70$11.95
Postage stamp$0.04$0.73
Population186.5M341 million

Sources and editorial standards

This profile combines a biographical source with structured birthday and historical context. Sources recorded for this profile: Wikipedia, World Athletics. See our editorial policy for sourcing, corrections, and review standards.

Read the source biography on Wikipedia. Wikipedia text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License.