Portrait of Troy Ruttman

Birthday profile

Troy Ruttman

American racing driver

Born
March 11, 1930
Died
May 19, 1997
Zodiac sign
Pisces
Birth year
1930

About Troy Ruttman

Troy Lynn Ruttman (March 11, 1930 – May 19, 1997) was an American racing driver. He is best known for winning the 1952 Indianapolis 500 - at the age of 22 years and 80 days, Ruttman remains the youngest ever winner of the event. Competing since the age of 15, he had a remarkably successful early career, winning several regional and AAA-sanctioned championships. Troy's younger brother Joe Ruttman also became a racing driver. == Driving career == === Early career === In 1945, at age 15, Ruttman entered his family's car into a roadster race held in San Bernardino, California, winning the event. He won 19 of the 21 events staged there that season. By 1947, he was the California Roadster Association (CRA) roadster champion. He also won his first five midget car races that season. In 1948 he repeated as the CRA roadster champion, United Racing Association Blue Circuit (Offy) championship, and 23 midget car events. === Sprint car career === In May 1949, Ruttman left California for the AAA Sprint and Championship car circuits of the Midwest.

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

The world when Troy Ruttman was born

Troy Ruttman was born in 1930. 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 1930

  • #1 song"Georgia on My Mind" – Hoagy Carmichael
  • Top movieAll Quiet on the Western Front
  • Best-selling bookCimarron – Edna Ferber

Headlines and milestones

  • Major sports momentBobby Jones wins the Grand Slam of golf
  • Top headlineFirst FIFA World Cup held in Uruguay
  • Technology milestonePlanet Pluto discovered
  • Defining fadMiniature golf craze
  • Notable inventionScotch tape
  • World population2.07 billion

United States snapshot

  • U.S. leaderHerbert Hoover
  • Sports championPhiladelphia Athletics (World Series)
  • U.S. population123.2M

1930 versus 2026

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

Measure19302026
Gas$0.20$3.45/gal
Average home$6,000$435,000
Average income$3,500$67,500
Movie ticket$0.25$11.95
Postage stamp$0.02$0.73
Population123.2M341 million

Sources and editorial standards

This profile combines a biographical source with structured birthday and historical context. Sources recorded for this profile: Wikipedia, Driver Database. 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.