Michael Johnson
Michael Johnson (born September 13, 1967, in Dallas, Texas) is a retired American sprinter who achieved unparalleled dominance in the 200 meters and 400 meters events during the 1990s.[1] Specializing in these distances after excelling at Baylor University under coach Clyde Hart, Johnson secured four Olympic gold medals across three Games: the 4 × 400 m relay in 1992, both the 200 m (in a then-world record 19.32 seconds) and 400 m in 1996, and the 400 m again in 2000.[1] He became the first athlete to win individual gold in both the 200 m and 400 m at a single Olympics in 1996, remaining undefeated in the 400 m for 58 consecutive finals over seven years.[1] Johnson set the current world record in the 400 m with 43.18 seconds at the 1999 World Championships in Seville, a mark that has endured for over two decades.[2] Beyond his competitive feats, Johnson voluntarily returned his 2000 Olympic 4 × 400 m relay gold medal in 2008 after teammate Antonio Pettigrew admitted to doping during the period, reflecting his commitment to the integrity of the sport despite no personal implication.[3] After retiring in 2001, he transitioned to coaching, notably guiding Olympic champion Jeremy Wariner, and later became a prominent television analyst and founder of the short-lived Grand Slam Track professional series, which faced financial challenges and ceased operations in 2025.[1][4]Arts and Entertainment
Music
Michael Johnson (August 8, 1944 – July 25, 2017) was an American singer-songwriter and guitarist whose career spanned pop, country, and folk music, with notable success in the late 1970s and 1980s.[5] Best known for his 1978 single "Bluer Than Blue," which peaked at number 12 on the Billboard Hot 100 and number 9 on the Adult Contemporary chart, Johnson blended introspective lyrics with fingerstyle guitar arrangements influenced by classical techniques.[5] [6] His debut major-label album, Airworks (1975), featured folk-oriented tracks, while later releases like Life & Lessons (2002) on Red House Records showcased acoustic performances covering standards such as "Almost Like Being in Love."[7] [8] Johnson achieved four entries on the Billboard Hot 100 and nine on the Hot Country Songs chart, including "This Night Won't Last Forever," which reached number 5 on the country chart in 1979 before being covered by Michael Martin Murphey for a number 1 country hit in 1987.[5] His compositions were recorded by artists including Alison Krauss and Suzy Bogguss, highlighting his songwriting influence in Nashville circles.[8] Despite limited mainstream commercial peaks beyond adult contemporary radio, Johnson's live performances emphasized guitar virtuosity and emotional delivery, earning praise from peers like Chet Atkins.[6]Visual Arts and Design
Michael Johnson is a British graphic designer and brand consultant renowned for his contributions to typography, branding, and visual identity systems. He founded the London-based studio Johnson Banks in 1992, following experience in brand consultancy, design, and art direction in cities including Tokyo, Sydney, Melbourne, and London.[9] The studio emphasizes strategic brand definition followed by tailored design solutions, serving clients such as Virgin Atlantic, Duolingo, the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, COP26, the Science Museum, and the Guggenheim Foundation.[10][9] Johnson's approach integrates problem-solving frameworks with creative execution, prioritizing clarity and adaptability in visual communication.[11] Johnson has authored influential books on design principles and branding processes. His first book, Problem Solved: A Primer for Design and Communication, published in 2002 and updated in a second edition in 2012, addresses recurring challenges in graphic design, offering practical solutions drawn from professional practice.[12] Subsequent works include the bestselling Branding: In Five and a Half Steps, which outlines a structured methodology for creating effective brand identities, and Now Try Something Weirder released in 2019, which explores innovative thinking in design education and practice.[9] These publications have been cited in design curricula and professional discourse for their emphasis on empirical problem identification over abstract theory.[11] His work has garnered significant industry recognition, including seven Yellow Pencils and one Black Pencil from the Design and Art Direction (D&AD) awards, with the Black Pencil awarded for fruit and vegetable stamp designs.[9] In 2017, Johnson received D&AD's President's Award, the organization's highest honor, and in 2022, he was inducted into Design Week's Hall of Fame.[13] Dozens of his designs are held in the Victoria and Albert Museum's permanent collection, underscoring their archival value in British graphic design history.[9] Johnson also contributes to design pedagogy as a visiting professor at Glasgow School of Art and through lectures at international conferences, influencing typography and branding education.[14]Film and Other Media
Michael Johnson (5 June 1939 – 24 February 2001) was an English actor recognized for supporting roles in British films and television productions during the mid-to-late 20th century.[15] Born in Grimsby, Lincolnshire, he contributed to historical dramas and thrillers, often portraying secondary characters in period pieces and suspense narratives.[16] In the 1969 historical film Anne of the Thousand Days, directed by Charles Jarrott, Johnson played George Boleyn, the brother of the protagonist Anne Boleyn, amid a cast including Richard Burton and Geneviève Bujold; the production earned Academy Award nominations for Best Costume Design and Best Original Score.[17] His performance aligned with the film's focus on Tudor court intrigue, drawing from Maxwell Anderson's play.[17] Johnson later appeared as Humphrey Channing in Defense of the Realm (1985), a political thriller directed by David Drury featuring Gabriel Byrne and Greta Scacchi, where he depicted a character entangled in journalistic investigations of espionage; the film received critical acclaim for its tense atmosphere and commentary on media ethics, holding a 6.5/10 rating on IMDb based on over 2,700 user reviews.[18] Additional film credits include roles in horror titles such as Lust for a Vampire (1970), part of Hammer Films' Karnstein Trilogy, and Homebodies (1974), a suspense story about elderly residents resisting urban development.[19] On television, he featured in episodes of series like The Human Jungle (1963–1965), a psychological drama, and MacGyver (1985–1992), an American action-adventure show.[15] These appearances underscore his versatility across genres, though he remained a character actor without leading roles in major productions.[20]Politics and Public Figures
United States Politicians
Mike Johnson (born January 30, 1972), a Republican, has represented Louisiana's 4th congressional district in the U.S. House of Representatives since winning a special election on December 10, 2016.[21] He previously served in the Louisiana House of Representatives from 2015 to 2017.[22] Elected the 56th Speaker of the House on October 25, 2023, following the ouster of Kevin McCarthy, Johnson was reelected to the position on January 3, 2025, in a first-round floor vote amid a slim Republican majority.[23] Known for conservative fiscal policies emphasizing spending restraint and opposition to expansive federal budgets, Johnson has prioritized advancing Republican priorities such as debt limit reforms and cuts to non-defense discretionary spending.[24] In the 2025 federal government shutdown, which extended to its 24th day by October 24 after Congress failed to pass appropriations bills by September 30, Johnson blamed Senate Democrats for rejecting House-passed continuing resolutions without additional progressive policy riders, arguing that Democrats had effectively closed the government for the first time in history over a "clean" funding measure.[25] He maintained the House's legislative work was complete, opting to recess lawmakers rather than reconvene for targeted funding votes like air traffic controller pay, as a strategy to pressure Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer amid stalled negotiations.[26] [27] This approach drew criticism from some Republicans and Democrats for prolonging disruptions, including furloughs affecting over 2 million federal workers, though Johnson defended it as upholding fiscal discipline against Democratic leverage.[28][29] Other U.S. politicians named Michael Johnson include state-level officeholders. Michael Johnson, a Republican, has served in the South Carolina State Senate for District 16 (Lancaster and York counties) since November 9, 2020.[30] In Missouri, Representative Michael Johnson, a Democrat, represents House District 23 (Jackson County) after winning election in November 2022 and securing reelection in 2024.[31] Michael T. Johnson, a Republican, holds a seat in the Louisiana House of Representatives for District 27, elected in 2019 and serving through 2028 as Speaker Pro Tempore.[32] These figures have focused on district-specific issues like education funding and local economic policies, with voting records aligning to their party platforms on state budgets and regulatory reforms.[33]International Politicians
Michael Johnson served as the Liberal Party member for the Division of Ryan in Queensland's federal House of Representatives from November 2001 to August 2010, securing electoral victories in the 2001, 2004, and 2007 federal elections with margins that grew from 5.7% to 16.7%.[34][35] His 2001 win reclaimed the seat for the Liberals after Labor's brief hold, reflecting voter preference for Liberal economic policies amid national shifts under Prime Minister John Howard.[36] Johnson demonstrated party discipline by never rebelling against Liberal majorities in parliamentary divisions tracked from February 2006 onward, supporting legislation aligned with the party's free-market orientation, including procedural votes enabling broader debate on fiscal reforms.[35][37] However, his tenure ended amid controversy when the Liberal National Party of Queensland expelled him on May 19, 2010, for allegedly misusing parliamentary resources to seek commissions—estimated at up to $12 million—on private trade deals with China, conduct deemed to bring disrepute to the party.[38][39][40] Running as an independent in the 2010 election, he polled under 20% of first preferences, allowing the Liberal candidate to retain Ryan with a reduced but decisive margin, underscoring the electoral cost of his intra-party rift.[38][40]Sports
Track and Field
Michael Duane Johnson (born September 13, 1967) is a retired American sprinter who specialized in the 200 meters and 400 meters, achieving unprecedented dominance in both events during the 1990s.[41] He secured four Olympic gold medals across three Games: the 200 m (19.32 seconds, world record) and 400 m (43.49 seconds, Olympic record) individual events plus the 4 × 400 m relay at the 1996 Atlanta Olympics, and the 400 m (43.84 seconds) plus another 4 × 400 m relay gold at the 2000 Sydney Olympics.[41] [42] Johnson's 1996 Atlanta performance marked the first Olympic 200 m–400 m double by a male athlete, executed with a unique upright running style that emphasized efficiency over traditional arm pump.[43] At the World Championships in Athletics, Johnson amassed eight gold medals, including the 200 m–400 m double in 1991 (Tokyo), 1995 (Gothenburg), and 1999 (Seville), where he set a 400 m world record of 43.18 seconds.[43] He broke the 44-second barrier in the 400 m 22 times, a feat unmatched by any other athlete, and held the event's world record from 1999 until Wayde van Niekerk's 43.03 seconds in 2016.[43] His 200 m world record of 19.32 seconds, set in the 1996 Olympic final, endured for 12 years until Usain Bolt's 19.30 seconds in 2008.[41] Johnson retired in 2001 after the Goodwill Games, having run over 50 sub-20-second 200 m races and maintaining peak performance into his mid-30s, with his final Olympic 400 m win at age 33 making him the oldest gold medalist in any track event under 5000 m.[44]| Event | Personal Best | Date | Location | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 200 m | 19.32 s | August 1, 1996 | Atlanta, USA | World record (held until 2008) |
| 400 m | 43.18 s | August 26, 1999 | Seville, Spain | World record (held until 2016) |
| 300 m | 30.85 s | March 20, 1990 | Fayetteville, USA | World best (not ratified as record) |