Nikita Izotov

Nikita Alexeevich Izotov (Russian: Никита Алексеевич Изотов) (February 9 [O.S. January 27] 1902 — January 14, 1951) is sometimes referred to (at least by specialists) as the "First Stakhanovite," because he was the first Soviet worker singled out by the press for a superhuman act of labor. In his case, he was praised for having mined far more coal than anyone else—dozens of times the quota.

For a brief period of time, beginning with a May 11, 1932, article in Pravda, Izotov was held up as a model worker, giving rise to the short-lived movement of "Izotovism," which was later eclipsed by Stakhanovism.