In the 2020 Paralympics in Tokyo, Felix Streng, running with an artificial leg, won the men’s 100-meter dash in 10.76 seconds, only a little off the world record held by Usain Bolt, “the fastest man in the world.”// How did he do that?// First, Streng is a superb athlete.// Next, he was running with a high-tech prosthetic leg.// The earliest prosthetic we know of is a 3,000-year-old artificial toe found in an Egyptian tomb.// Until the late 20th century prosthetics remained simple devices made of wood, leather, and plaster.// Today, high-tech prosthetics allow amputees to surf, to dance, even to perform ballet.// One of the pioneers of prosthetic research lost both legs in a climbing accident when he was 17.// He was unhappy with the artificial legs he was given, so he made his own.// He is now a leader in the science of prosthetics.// His name is Hugh Herr.// You will read all about him in this lesson.//