Swimming has been known since prehistoric times; the earliest recording of swimming dates back to Stone Age paintings from around 6,000 years ago. Swimming is the movement by humans or animals through Water, usually without artificial assistance The Stone Age is a broad prehistoric time period during which Humans widely used stone for toolmaking Written references date from 2000 BC. The 2nd millennium BC marks the transition from the Middle to the Late Bronze Age. Some of the earliest references include the Gilgamesh, the Iliad, the Odyssey, the Bible (Ezekiel 47:5, Acts 27:42, Isaiah 25:11), Beowulf, and other sagas. The Epic of Gilgamesh is an epic poem from Ancient Mesopotamia and is among the earliest known works of literary fiction. The Iliad ( Greek: Ἰλιάς (Ancient Ιλιάδα (Modern is together with the Odyssey, one of two ancient The Odyssey ( Greek: Ὀδύσσεια or Odússeia) is one of two major ancient Greek epic poems attributed to Homer. Etymology According to the Online Etymology Dictionary, the word bible is from Latin biblia, traced from the same word through Medieval Latin and Late Latin Beowulf is an Old English Heroic epic poem of anonymous authorship dating as recorded in the Nowell Codex manuscript from between In 1538, Nikolaus Wynmann, a German professor of languages, wrote the first swimming book, The Swimmer or A Dialogue on the Art of Swimming (Der Schwimmer oder ein Zwiegespräch über die Schwimmkunst). The German language (de ''Deutsch'') is a West Germanic language and one of the world's major languages. Competitive swimming in Europe started around 1800, mostly using breaststroke. Breaststroke is a Swimming style swum on the Breast. It is the most popular recreational style due to its stability and the ability to keep the head out of the In 1873 John Arthur Trudgen introduced the trudgen to Western swimming competitions, after copying the front crawl used by Native Americans. The trudgen is a Swimming stroke sometimes known as the racing stroke, or the East Indian stroke. The front crawl, or forward crawl, is a Swimming style usually regarded as the fastest of all the styles developed For indigenous peoples in the United States other than Hawaii and Alaska see also Native Americans in the United States. Due to a British disregard for splashing, Trudgen employed a scissor kick instead of the front crawl's flutter kick. The front crawl, or forward crawl, is a Swimming style usually regarded as the fastest of all the styles developed The flutter kick is a kicking movement used in both Swimming and Calisthenics. Swimming was part of the first modern Olympic games in 1896 in Athens. The 1896 Summer Olympics, officially known as the Games of the I Olympiad, were an International Athens (ˈæθənz Αθήνα Athina,) the Capital and largest city of Greece, dominates the Attica periphery as one of the world's In 1902 Richard Cavill introduced the front crawl to the Western world. The front crawl, or forward crawl, is a Swimming style usually regarded as the fastest of all the styles developed In 1908, the world swimming association, Fédération Internationale de Natation (FINA), bottom cheeks
BC|4000 BC]] and 9000 BC shows four swimmers who are believed to be swimming a variant of the front crawl. The 9th millennium BC marks the beginning of the Neolithic period More references to swimming are found in Babylonian bas-reliefs and Assyrian wall drawings, depicting a variant of the breaststroke. Babylon was a City-state of ancient Mesopotamia, the remains of which can be found in present-day Al Hillah, Babil Province, Iraq Early history The most Neolithic site in Assyria is at Tell Hassuna, the center of the Hassuna culture The most famous drawings were found in the Kebir desert and are estimated to be from around 4000 BC The Nagoda bas-relief also shows swimmers dating back from 3000 BC The Indian palace Mohenjo Daro from 2800 BC contains a swimming pool sized 30 m by 60 m. The 3rd millennium BC spans the Early to Middle Bronze Age. It represents a period of time in which Imperialism, or the desire to conquer grew to prominence India, officially the Republic of India (भारत गणराज्य inc-Latn Bhārat Gaṇarājya; see also other Indian languages) is a country Mohenjo-daro (موئن جودڑو موئن جو دڙو मोहन जोदड़ो Mound of the Dead was one of the largest city-settlements of the Indus Valley Civilization The 28th century BC is a Century which lasted from the year 2800 BC to 2701 BC A swimming pool, swimming bath, wading pool, or simply a pool, is an artificially enclosed Body of water intended for Swimming or The Minoan palace Minos of Knossos in Crete also featured baths. The Minoan civilization was a Bronze Age civilization which arose on the island of Crete. Knossos (alternative spellings Knossus, Cnossus, Greek Κνωσός kno̞ˈso̞s also known as the Knossos Palace is the largest Crete ( Greek: Κρήτη transliteration: Krētē, modern transliteration Kriti) is the largest of the Greek islands and the An Egyptian tomb from 2000 BC shows a variant of the front crawl. The 2nd millennium BC marks the transition from the Middle to the Late Bronze Age. Depictions of swimmers were also found from the Hittites, Minoans, and other Middle Eastern civilizations, in the Tepantitla compound at Teotihuacan, and in mosaics in Pompeii. The Hittites were an ancient Anatolian people who spoke a language of the Anatolian branch of the Indo-European language family and established The Minoan civilization was a Bronze Age civilization which arose on the island of Crete. Teotihuacan is an enormous archaeological site in the Basin of Mexico, containing some of the largest pyramidal structures built in the Pre-Columbian Americas Art History Mosaics of the 4th century BC are found in the Macedonian palace-city of Aegae, and they enriched the floors of Hellenistic Pompeii is a ruined and partially buried Roman town-city near modern Naples and Caserta in the Italian region of Campania, in
Written references date back to 2000 BC including Gilgamesh, the Iliad, the Odyssey, the Bible (Ezekiel 47:5, Acts 27:42, Isaiah 25:11), Beowulf, and other sagas, although the style is never described. There are also many mentions of swimmers in the Vatican, Borgian and Bourbon codices. Vatican City, officially the State of the Vatican City (Stato della Città del Vaticano is a Landlocked sovereign City-state whose territory This article is about the historical person For the biographical opera see Lucrezia Borgia (opera. The House of Bourbon is an important European Royal house, a branch of the Capetian dynasty.
The Greeks did not include swimming in the ancient Olympic Games, but practiced the sport, often building swimming pools as part of their baths. The term ancient Greece refers to the period of Greek history lasting from the Greek Dark Ages ca The Olympic Games is an international Multi-sport event established for both summer and winter games One common insult in Greece was to say about somebody that he/she neither knew how to run nor swim. Swimming is an integral part of the tale of Hero and Leander and of the 7th-century poet Arion. Hero and Leander is a Greek myth, relating the story of Hero, a priestess of Aphrodite who dwelt in a tower in Sestos, at the edge of the Arion was a legendary Kitharode in Ancient Greece, a Dionysiac Poet credited with inventing the Dithyramb. The Etruscans at Tarquinia (Italy) show pictures of swimmers in 600 BC, and tombs in Greece depict swimmers 500 BC. Etruscan civilization is the modern English name given to the culture and way of life of a people of ancient Italy Italy (Italia officially the Italian Republic, (Repubblica Italiana is located on the Italian Peninsula in Southern Europe, and on the two largest The 6th century BC started the first day of 600 BC and ended the last day of 501 BC. Greece (Ελλάδα transliterated: Elláda, historically, Ellás,) officially the Hellenic Republic (Ελληνική Δημοκρατία The 5th century BC started the first day of 500 BC and ended the last day of 401 BC. The Greek Scyllis was taken prisoner on a ship of the Persian king Xerxes I in 480 BC. The Persian Empire was a series of Iranian empires that ruled over the Iranian plateau, the original Persian homeland and beyond in Western Asia Xerxes I of Persia was a King of Persia (reigned 485–465 BC of the Achaemenid dynasty. After learning about an impending attack on the Greek Navy, he stole a knife and jumped overboard. During the night and using a snorkel made from reed; he swam back to the ships and cut them loose. It was also said that the ability to swim saved the Greeks at the Battle of Salamis, while the Persians all drowned when their ships were destroyed. In Ancient Rome, swimming was considered a healthy practice, and swimming races were held in the Tiber River. Julius Caesar himself was known to be a good swimmer.
A series of reliefs from 850 BC in the Nimrud Gallery of the British Museum show swimmers, mostly in military context, often using swimming aids. Nimrud is an ancient Assyrian city located south of Nineveh on the river Tigris. The British Museum is a Museum of human history and culture in London.
In Japan swimming was one of the noble skills of the Samurai, and historic records describe swimming competitions in 36 BC organized by emperor Suigui (spelling unclear), which are the first known swimming races. For a topic outline on this subject see List of basic Japan topics. is the term for the military nobility of Pre-industrial Japan.
The Germanic folklore describes swimming, which was used successfully in wars against the Romans. The Germanic peoples are a historical group of Indo-European -speaking peoples originating in Northern Europe and identified by their use of the Germanic The Roman Empire was the post-Republican phase of the ancient Roman civilization, characterised by an autocratic form of government and large territorial Swimming competitions are also known from that time.
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Middle Ages to 1800
Swimming was initially one of the seven agilities of knights during the Middle Ages, including swimming with armour. Knight is the English term for a social position originating in the Middle Ages. Armour (or armor) is protective covering most commonly manufactured from metals to prevent damage from being inflicted to an individual or a vehicle through use of direct contact However, as swimming was done in a state of undress, it became less popular as society became more conservative in the early Modern period. The early modern period is a term used by historians to refer to the period in Western '''Europe''' and its first colonies which spans the three centuries between For example, in the 16th century, a German court document in the Vechta prohibited the naked public swimming of children. Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany ( ˈbʊndəsʁepuˌbliːk ˈdɔʏtʃlant is a Country in Central Europe. Vechta (ˈfɛçta is a district ( Landkreis) in Lower Saxony, Germany. Leonardo da Vinci made early sketches of lifebelts. Leonardo di ser Piero da Vinci ( April 15 1452 – May 2 1519 was an Italian Polymath, having been a scientist Mathematician, Engineer In 1539 Nicolas Wynman, German professor of languages, wrote the first swimming book Colymbetes. His goal wasn't exercise, but instead it was to reduce the dangers of drowning. Drowning is Death as caused by suffocation when a liquid causes interruption of the body's absorption of oxygen from the air leading to Asphyxia. Nevertheless, the book contained a very good and methodical approach to learning breaststroke, and includes swimming aids such as air filled cow bladders, reed bundles, or cork belts. In Anatomy, the urinary bladder is a hollow muscular, and distensible (or elastic organ that sits on the Pelvic floor in Mammals It is the Phragmites australis, the common reed, is a large perennial grass found in Wetlands throughout temperate and tropical regions of the Cork material is a Prime-subset of generic cork tissue, harvested for commercial use primarily from the Cork Oak tree Quercus In 1587, Everard Digby[born about 1550 in England] also wrote a swimming book, claiming that humans can swim better than fish. Digby was a Senior Fellow at St. John's College, Cambridge University, interested in the scientific method. His short treatise, De arte natandi, was written in Latin and contained over 40 woodcut illustrations depicting various methods of swimming, including the breaststroke, backstroke and the crawl. Digby regarded the breaststroke as the most useful form of swimming. [1] In 1603 the first national swimming organization was established in Japan. Emperor Go-Yozei of Japan declared that school children should swim. Emperor Go-Yōzei (後陽成天皇 Go-Yōzei-tennō) ( December 31, 1572 - September 25, 1617) was the 107th emperor In 1696, the French author Melchisédech Thévenot (1620 or 1621 to 1692) wrote The Art of Swimming, describing a breaststroke very similar to the modern breaststroke. This article is about the country For a topic outline on this subject see List of basic France topics. Melchisédech (or Melchisédec) Thévenot (c 1620 - October 29, 1692) was a French author scientist traveler cartographer This book was translated into English and became the standard reference of swimming for many years to come, and was read by Benjamin Franklin. Benjamin Franklin ( April 17 1790 was one of the Founding Fathers of the United States of America. In 1708, the first known lifesaving group "Chinkiang Association for the Saving of Life" was established in China. A lifeguard is an Emergency service worker who is responsible for overseeing the Safety of the users of a recreational water feature such as a Swimming China ( Wade-Giles ( Mandarin) Chung¹kuo² is a cultural region, an ancient Civilization, and depending on perspective a National Benjamin Franklin is credited with the invention of the swimming fins at the age of ten, in 1716. Benjamin Franklin ( April 17 1790 was one of the Founding Fathers of the United States of America. In 1739 Guts Muts (also spelled as Guts Muth) from Schnepfenthal, Germany, wrote "Gymnastik für die Jugend" (Exercise for the youth), including a significant portion about swimming. The Free State of Thuringia (Freistaat Thüringen is located in central Germany. Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany ( ˈbʊndəsʁepuˌbliːk ˈdɔʏtʃlant is a Country in Central Europe. In 1794 Kanonikus Oronzio de Bernardi of Italy wrote a two volume book about swimming, including floating practice as a prerequisite for swimming studies. In 1798 Guts Muts wrote another book "Kleines Lehrbuch der Schwimmkunst zum Selbstunterricht" (Small study book of the art of swimming for self study), recommending the use of a "fishing rod" device to aid in the learning of swimming. A fishing rod or a fishing pole is a Tool used to catch fish, usually in conjunction with the Sport of Angling, can also be used in His books describe a three step approach to learn swimming that is still used today. First, get the student used to the water, second, practice the swimming movements out of the water, third, practice the swimming movements in the water. He believed that swimming is an essential part of every education. More lifesaving groups were established in 1767 (1768?) in Amsterdam by the Dutch, 1772 in Copenhagen, and in 1774 by Great Britain. Amsterdam (pronounced) is the capital and largest city of the Netherlands, located in the province of North Holland in the west The Netherlands ( Dutch:, ˈnedərlɑnt is the European part of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, which consists of the Netherlands the Netherlands Copenhagen (ˌkəʊpənˈheɪgən ˌkəʊpənˈhɑːgən ˈkəʊpənˌheɪgən ˈkəʊpənˌhɑːgən kʰøb̥ənˈhɑʊ̯ˀn kʰøb̥m̩ˈhɑʊ̯ˀn is the capital and largest city See also Kingdom of Great Britain Great Britain (Breatainn Mhòr Prydain Fawr Breten Veur Graet Breetain is the larger of the two main islands In 1768 a humane society was established in the United States. The United States of America —commonly referred to as the In 1796, a (still existing) swimming club, the Upsala Simsällskap, was founded in Uppsala, Sweden. Upsala Simsällskap, the "Uppsala Swimming Society" (but using the old spelling of the city name with one p was founded in Uppsala in 1796. Uppsala ˈɵpˌsɑːla (older spelling Upsala) is the capital of Uppsala County ( Uppsala län) and the fourth largest city of "Sverige" redirects here For other uses see Sweden (disambiguation and Sverige (disambiguation. The Haloren, a group of salt makers in Halle, Germany, greatly advanced swimming through setting a good example to others by teaching their children swimming at a very early age. Halle is the largest city in the German State of Saxony-Anhalt. The adults were very good swimers themselves.
The Pre-Olympic Era to 1896
In 1804 the lifebelt was invented by W. H. Mallison (America?), the device being known at that time as the "Seaman’s Friend". However, the lifebelts took up valuable space on ships, and the United States Navy was worried about the devices being used by sailors to desert.
The first German swimming club was founded in 1837 in Berlin. Berlin is the capital city and one of sixteen states of Germany. A journal mentions "swimming skates" in France, which may be an early version of a surfboard. Surfing is a surface water sport in which the participant is carried along the face of a breaking wave, most commonly using a Surfboard, although wave-riders
One watershed event was a swimming competition in 1844 in London. London ( ˈlʌndən is the capital and largest urban area in the United Kingdom. Some Native Americans participated in this competition. While the British raced using breaststroke, the Native Americans swam a variant of the front crawl, which had been used by people in the Americas, West Africa and some Pacific islands for generations, but was not known to the British. Breaststroke is a Swimming style swum on the Breast. It is the most popular recreational style due to its stability and the ability to keep the head out of the The front crawl, or forward crawl, is a Swimming style usually regarded as the fastest of all the styles developed The Americas are the lands of the Western hemisphere or New World, consisting of the Continents of North America and South America West Africa or Western Africa is the Westernmost Region of the African Continent. The Pacific Ocean is the largest of the Earth 's Oceanic divisions As the front crawl is much faster than the breaststroke, the Americans easily beat the British: Flying Gull won the medal, swimming the 150 feet (46 m) in 30 seconds, and second place went to another American named Tobacco. Their stroke was described as making a motion with the arms "like a windmill" and kicking the legs up and down. A windmill is a machine that is powered by the energy of the wind As this produced considerable splashing, it was considered barbaric and "un-European" to the British gentlemen, who preferred to keep their heads above water. Subsequently, the British continued to swim only breaststroke until 1873.
The first indoor swimming pool was built in England in 1862 . An Amateur Swimming Association of Great Britain was organized in 1880 with more than 300 members. The main swimming styles were the breaststroke and the recently developed side stroke. The sidestroke is a swimming stroke, so named because the swimmer lies on one side In the sidestroke, the swimmer lies on one side. Initially, the arms were brought forward under water, but this was soon modified to bring the arm forward over water to reduce resistance and to improve the speed, resulting in an overarm sidestroke. The legs were squeezed together in a scissor style. In 1895, J. H. Thayers of England swam 100 yards (91 m) in a record-breaking 1:02. 50 using a sidestroke.
Sometime between 1870 and 1890 (the date is most often given as 1873), John Arthur Trudgen reintroduced the front crawl to England, having learned the stroke from Native Americans during a trip to South America. South America is a Continent of the Americas, situated entirely in the Western Hemisphere and mostly in the Southern Hemisphere, with a His stroke, a variant of the front crawl, came to be called the Trudgen or Trudgeon. The trudgen is a Swimming stroke sometimes known as the racing stroke, or the East Indian stroke. The arms were brought forward, alternating, while the body rolled from side to side. The kick was a scissors kick such as that familiarly used in breaststroke, with one kick for two arm strokes, although it is believed that the Native Americans had indeed used a flutter kick. Front crawl variants used different ratios of scissor kicks to arm strokes, or alternated with a flutter (up-and-down) kick. The speed of the new stroke was demonstrated by F. V. C. Lane in 1901, swimming 100 yards (91 m) in 1:00. 0, an improvement of about ten seconds compared to the breaststroke record. This style is the first European version of the front crawl, the fastest swimming style known today. Due to its speed the Trudgen became very quickly popular around the world, despite all the ungentlemanlike splashing.
Captain Matthew Webb was the first man to swim the English channel (between England and France), in 1875. This article is about the first man to swim the English Channel unaided Matthew Webb. He used breaststroke, swimming 21. 26 miles (34. 21 km) in 21 hours and 45 minutes. No other man or woman swam the channel for the next 31 years. He died in 1882 while attempting to swim the Niagara Falls. The Niagara Falls are massive Waterfalls on the Niagara River, straddling the international border separating the Canadian province of Ontario The first European amateur swimming competitions were in 1889 in Vienna. Vienna ( in Wien; see also other names) is the Capital of Austria, and is also one of the nine States of Austria.
In 1879 King Ludwig II of Bavaria built a swimming pool in castle Linderhof. Ludwig Friedrich Wilhelm II King of Bavaria ( August 25, 1845 &ndash June 13, 1886) was king of Bavaria from 1864 until shortly This is believed to be the first artificial wave pool and also featured electrically heated water and light.
Synchronized swimming started in the late 19th century, and the first competition was in 1891 in Berlin, a men's-only event.
The Modern Olympic Era after 1896
The Olympic Games were held in 1896 in Athens, a male-only competition (see also Swimming at the 1896 Summer Olympics). The 1896 Summer Olympics, officially known as the Games of the I Olympiad, were an International Athens (ˈæθənz Αθήνα Athina,) the Capital and largest city of Greece, dominates the Attica periphery as one of the world's At the 1896 Summer Olympics, four Swimming events were contested all for men Six events were planned, but only four events were actually contested: 100 m, 500 m, and 1200 m freestyle and 100 m for sailors. The first gold medal was won by Alfred Hajos of Hungary in 1:22. Alfréd Hajós ( February 1, 1878 &ndash November 12, 1955) was an Hungarian swimmer and architect. Hungary (Magyarország 'mɔɟɔrorsaːg) officially in English the Republic of Hungary ( Magyar Köztársaság, literally Magyar (Hungarian Republic 20 for the 100 m freestyle. Hajos was also victorious in the 1200 m event, and was unable to compete in the 500 m, which was won by Austrian Paul Neumann. Paul Neumann (born June 13 1875 in Vienna &ndash died February 9 1932 in Vienna) was an Austrian swimmer Another swimming competition of 100 m for sailors included three Greek sailors in Bay of Zea near Piraeus, starting from a rowing boat. Piraeus (pɪˈræʊs Πειραιάς, piɾeˈas Πειραιεύς, piɾeˈefs is a city in the periphery of Attica, Greece, and a The winner was Ioannis Malokinis in two minutes and 20 seconds. A 1500 m race was also performed.
In 1897 Capt. Henry Sheffield designed a rescue can or rescue cylinder, now well known as the lifesaving device in Baywatch. Baywatch was an American Television series about the Los Angeles County Lifeguards who patrol the crowded Beaches of The pointed ends made it slide faster through the water, although it can cause injuries.
The second Olympic games in Paris in 1900 featured 200 m, 1000 m, and 4000 m freestyle, 200 m backstroke, and a 200 m team race (see also Swimming at the 1900 Summer Olympics). The 1900 Summer Olympics, officially known as the Games of the II Olympiad, were an International Multi-sport event which was celebrated in 1900 in Paris (ˈpærɨs in English; in French) is the Capital of France and the country's largest city The backstroke, also sometimes called the back crawl, is one of the four At the 1900 Summer Olympics in Paris, seven Swimming events were contested There were two additional unusual swimming events (although common at the time) : an obstacle swimming course in the Seine river (swimming with the current), and an underwater swimming race. The Seine (sɛn in French) is a slow flowing major River and commercial waterway within the regions of Île-de-France and Haute-Normandie The 4000 m freestyle was won by John Arthur Jarvis in under one hour, the longest Olympic swimming race ever. John Hugo Jarvis is a Karateka from New Zealand. He is Shihan, 5th Dan The backstroke was also introduced to the Olympic games in Paris, as was water polo. Water polo is a team water sport A team consists of six field players and one Goalkeeper. The Osborne Swimming Club from Manchester beat club teams from Belgium, France and Germany quite easily.
The Trudgen was improved by Australian-born Richmond Cavill (born Sydney 1884). Cavill, whose father Frederick Cavill narrowly failed to swim the English Channel, is credited with developing the stroke by observing a young boy from the Solomon Island, Alick Wickham. Cavill and his brothers (Sydney, Charles, Arthur, Ernest and Percy) were all champion swimmers and formed arguably the greatest swimming dynasty. They spread the Australian crawl to England, New Zealand and America. Richmond - or Dick as he was better known - used this stroke in 1902 at an International Championships in England to set a new world record by outswimming all Trudgen swimmers over the 100 yards (91 m) in 0:58. 4 (References: Davis and E. S. Marks Sporting Collections, Mitchell Library, Sydney; Clarkson, A. Lanes of Gold. 100 Years of the NSW Amateur Swimming Association, Lester-Townsend, 1990; Osmond, G. and Phillips, M. ‘The Bloke with a Stroke. Alick Wickham, the “Crawl” and Social Memory, The Journal of Pacific History, Vol. 39, No. 3, 2004: Delany, B. ‘The Legendary Cavills’, A. M. , 19 January 1954, pp. 36 – 39)
The Olympics in 1904 in St. Louis included races over 50 yards (46 m), 100 yards, 220 yards (200 m), 440 yards, 880 yards (800 m) and one mile (1. The 1904 Summer Olympics, officially known as the Games of the III Olympiad, were an International Multi-sport event which was celebrated in St 6 km) freestyle, 100 yards (91 m) backstroke and 440 yards (400 m) breaststroke, and the 4x50 yards freestyle relay (see also Swimming at the 1904 Summer Olympics). At the 1904 Summer Olympics, nine Swimming events were contested all for men These games differentiated between breaststroke and freestyle, so that there were now two defined styles (breaststroke and backstroke) and freestyle, where most people swam Trudgen. These games also featured a competition to plunge for distance, where the distance without swimming, after jumping in a pool, was measured.
In 1907 the swimmer Annette Kellerman from Australia visited the United States as an "Underwater Ballerina", a version of Synchronized swimming, diving into glass tanks. Annette Marie Sarah Kellermann (6 July 1887 Sydney, New South Wales &ndash 5 November 1975 Southport, Queensland, Australia She was arrested for indecent exposure, as her swimsuit showed arms, legs and the neck. A swimsuit, bathing suit or swimming costume is an item of Clothing designed to be worn for Swimming. Kellerman changed the suit to have long arms and legs, and a collar, still keeping the close fit revealing the shapes underneath. She later starred in several movies, including one about her life.
In 1908, the world swimming association Fédération Internationale de Natation de Amateur (FINA) was formed.
Women were first allowed to swim in the Olympic Games in 1912 in Stockholm, competing in freestyle races. The 1912 Summer Olympics, officially known as the Games of the V Olympiad, were an International Multi-sport event which was celebrated in 1912 in ('stɔkhɔlm is Sweden 's Capital and its largest City. It is the site of the national Swedish government, the parliament, and the (Women could participate in golf and tennis since 1900 in Paris). In the 1912 games, Harry Hebner of the United States won the 100 m backstroke. Harry Joseph Hebner ( June 15, 1891 &ndash October 12, 1968) was an American Backstroke and freestyle At these games Duke Kahanamoku from Hawaii won the 100 m freestyle, having learned the six kicks per cycle front crawl from older natives of his island. The Big Kahuna redirects here For the film see The Big Kahuna (film. The State of Hawaii ( or həˈwaɪʔiː Hawaiian: Mokuāina o Hawaii) is a state in the United States located on an Archipelago in the This style is now considered the classical front crawl style. The men's competitions were 100 m, 400 m, and 1500 m Freestyle, 100 m backstroke, 200 m and 400 m breaststroke, and four by 200 m freestyle relay. The women’s competitions were 100 m freestyle and four by 100 m freestyle relay.
On 28 July 1912, an 800 m long pier in Binz on the island of Rügen, Germany collapsed under the load of 1000 people waiting for the cruise steamer Kronprinz Wilhelm. Events 1540 - Thomas Cromwell is executed at the order of Henry VIII of England on charges of Treason. Year 1912 ( MCMXII) was a Leap year starting on Monday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a Leap year starting Rügen (ˈʁyːgən or Rugia is Germany 's largest Island. It is located in the Baltic Sea off the coast of Mecklenburg-Vorpommern 1901-1914 German passenger liner The Kronprinz Wilhelm was launched on 30 March 1901 and started her maiden voyage on 17 September Sailors of the German navy were able to save most people, but 17 people died because they could not swim, including seven children. This catastrophe caused the foundation of the Deutsche Lebens-Rettungs-Gesellschaft (DLRG) (German lifesaving organization) on October 19 1913 in Leipzig. Logo of the DLRG The Deutsche Lebens-Rettungs-Gesellschaft This sort of fix restores section edit linkpoints to where they belong In the same year the first elastic swimsuit was made by the sweater company Jantzen.
In 1922, Johnny Weissmuller became the first person to swim the 100 m in less than a minute, using a six kicks per cycle Australian crawl. Johnny Weissmuller (June 2 1904 &ndash January 20 1984 was an American swimmer and Actor who was one of the world's best swimmers in the 1920s winning Johnny Weissmuller started the golden age of swimming and was the world's most famous swimmer, winning five Olympic medals and 36 national championships and never losing a race in his ten-year career, until he retired from swimming and started his second career starring as Tarzan in film. Tarzan is a Fictional character, an archetypal Feral child raised in the African jungle by Apes who later returns to civilization only to His record of 51 seconds in 100-yard (91 m) freestyle stood for over 17 years. In the same year, Sybil Bauer was the first woman to break a men’s world record over the 440 m backstroke in 6:24. 8.
At the 1924 Summer Olympics in Paris, lane dividers made of cork were used for the first time, and lines on the pool bottom aided with orientation. The 1924 Summer Olympics, officially known as the Games of the VIII Olympiad, were an International Multi-sport event which was celebrated in 1924 in
1928 was the start of the scientific study of swimming by David Armbruster, coach at the University of Iowa, filming underwater swimmers. The University of Iowa, is a major teaching service and Research university located on a campus in Iowa City Iowa, on the banks of the Iowa River The Japanese also used underwater photography to research the stroke mechanics, and subsequently dominated the 1932 Summer Olympics. For a topic outline on this subject see List of basic Japan topics. Underwater photography is the process of taking Photographs while under water The 1932 Summer Olympics, officially known as the Games of the X Olympiad, were an International Multi-sport event which was celebrated in 1932 Armbruster also researched a problem of breaststroke where the swimmer was slowed down significantly while bringing the arms forward underwater. In 1934 Armbruster refined a method to bring the arms forward over water in breaststroke. While this "butterfly" technique was difficult, it brought a great improvement in speed. One year later, in 1935, Jack Sieg, a swimmer also from the University of Iowa developed a technique involving swimming on his side and beating his legs in unison similar to a fish tail, and modified the technique afterward to swim it face down. Jack Sieg was an American Swimmer who developed the Butterfly stroke. The University of Iowa, is a major teaching service and Research university located on a campus in Iowa City Iowa, on the banks of the Iowa River Armbruster and Sieg combined these techniques into a variant of the breaststroke called butterfly with the two kicks per cycle being called dolphin fishtail kick. Using this technique Sieg swam 100 yards (91 m) in 1:00. 2. However, even though this technique was much faster than regular breaststroke, the dolphin fishtail kick violated the rules and was not allowed. Therefore, the butterfly arms with a breaststroke kick were used by a few swimmers in the 1936 Summer Olympics in Berlin for the breaststroke competitions. The 1936 Summer Olympics, officially known as the Games of the XI Olympiad, an International Multi-sport event which was held in 1936 in Berlin In 1938, almost every breaststroke swimmer was using this butterfly style, yet this stroke was considered a variant of the breaststroke until 1952, when it was accepted as a separate style with a set of rules.
Around that time another modification to the backstroke became popular. Previously, the arms were held straight during the underwater push phase, for example by the top backstroke swimmer from 1935 to 1945, Adolph Kiefer. Adolph Gustav "Sonny Boy" Kiefer (born June 27, 1918) was an American Swimmer and the first man in the world to swim 100 yards backstroke However, Australian swimmers developed a technique where the arms are bent under water, increasing the horizontal push and the resulting speed and reducing the wasted force upward and sideways. This style is now generally used worldwide. In 1935 topless swimsuits for men were worn for the first time during an official competition.
In 1943 the US ordered the reduction of fabric in swimsuits by 10% due to wartime shortages, resulting in the first two piece swimsuits. Shortly afterwards the Bikini was invented in Paris by Louis Reard (officially) or Jacques Heim (earlier, but slightly larger). A bikini or two-piece is a type of women's Swimsuit, characterized by two separate parts &mdash one covering the Breasts (optionally in the case of A bikini or two-piece is a type of women's Swimsuit, characterized by two separate parts &mdash one covering the Breasts (optionally in the case of
Another modification was developed for breaststroke. In breaststroke, breaking the water surface increases the friction, reducing the speed of the swimmer. Therefore, swimming underwater increases the speed. This led to a controversy at the 1956 Summer Olympics in Melbourne, and six swimmers were disqualified as they repeatedly swam long distances underwater between surfacing to breathe. The 1956 Summer Olympics, officially known as the Games of the XVI Olympiad, were an International Multi-sport event which was held in Melbourne Melbourne ( is the second most populous city in Australia, with a Metropolitan area population of approximately 3 The rule was changed to require breaststroke to be swum at the surface starting with the first surfacing after the start and after each turn. However, one Japanese swimmer, Masaru Furukawa, circumvented the rule by not surfacing at all after the start, but swimming as much of the lane under water as possible before breaking the surface. He swam all but 5 m under water for the first three 50 m laps, and also swam half under water for the last lap, winning the gold medal. The adoption of this technique led to many swimmers suffering from oxygen starvation or even some swimmers passing out during the race due to a lack of air, and a new breaststroke rule was introduced by the FINA, additionally limiting the distance that can be swum under water after the start and every turn, and requiring the head to break the surface every cycle. The 1956 Games in Melbourne also saw the introduction of the body roll, a sort of tumble turn to faster change directions at the end of the lane.
In 1972 another famous swimmer, Mark Spitz, was at the height of his career. Mark Andrew Spitz (born February 10 1950 is a retired American Swimmer, best known for winning seven gold medals at the 1972 Munich Olympic Games During the 1972 Summer Olympics in Munich, Germany, he won seven gold medals, more than any other Olympic athlete has ever won. The 1972 Summer Olympics, officially known as the Games of the XX Olympiad, were an International Multi-sport event held in Munich, in what was Munich (München; Minga is the capital city of Bavaria, Germany. Shortly thereafter in 1973, the first swimming world cup was held in Belgrade, Yugoslavia by the FINA. Belgrade (Београд Beograd is the Capital and largest city of Serbia. The Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia ( Serbo-Croatian, Bosnian, Croatian, Serbian, Slovene, Macedonian:
Breaking the water surface reduces the speed in swimming. The swimmers Daichi Suzuki (Japan) and David Berkoff (America) used this for the 100 m backstroke at the 1988 Summer Olympics in Seoul. is a former Backstroke swimmer who earned a gold medal at the 1988 Summer Olympics in Seoul. David Charles Berkoff (born November 30, 1966 in Philadelphia Pennsylvania) is a former Backstroke Swimmer from the The 1988 Summer Olympics, officially known as the Games of the XXIV Olympiad, were an International Multi-sport event staged in 1988 in Seoul ( soʊl is the Capital and largest City of South Korea. Berkoff swam 33 m of the first lane completely underwater using only a dolphin kick, surfacing just before the turn, far ahead of his competition. A sports commentator called this a Berkoff Blastoff. Suzuki, having practiced the underwater technique for 10 years, surfaced only a little bit earlier, winning the race in 55. 05. At that time, this was not restricted by FINA backstroke rules. The backstroke rules were quickly changed in the same year by the FINA to ensure the health and safety of the swimmers, limiting the underwater phase after the start to ten meters, which was expanded to 15 m in 1991. In Seoul, Kristin Otto from East Germany won six gold medals, the most ever won by a woman. Kristin Otto (born February 7, 1966 in Leipzig, East Germany is a German Olympic swimming champion The German Democratic Republic ( GDR; Deutsche Demokratische Republik DDR; commonly known in English as East Germany) was a Socialist state
Another innovation is the use of forward tumble turns for backstroke. According to the rules, a backstroke swimmer had to touch the wall while lying less than 90 degrees out of the horizontal. This article describes the unit of angle For other meanings see Degree. Some swimmers discovered that they could turn faster if they rolled almost 90 degrees sideways, touched the wall, and made a forward tumble turn, pushing off the wall on their backs. The FINA has changed the rules to allow the swimmers to turn over completely before touching the wall to simplify this turn and to improve the speed of the races.
Similarly, the dolphin-kick underwater swimming technique is now also used for butterfly. Consequently, in 1998 FINA introduced a rule limiting swimmers to 15 meters underwater per lap before they must surface.
After underwater swimming for freestyle and backstroke, the underwater swimming technique is now also used for butterfly, for example by Denis Pankratov (Russia) or Angela Kennedy (Australia), swimming large distances underwater with a dolphin kick. Denis Pankratov (Денис Панкратов born July 4, 1974) is a retired Russian butterfly swimmer of the 1990s who was best known FINA is again considering a rule change for safety reasons. It is currently unclear if it is possible to swim faster underwater than swimming freestyle or front crawl at the surface. ( In 2005 FINA declared that you may take 1 underwater dolphin kick in the motion of a breststroke pull-out)
In 1998 Benoît Lecomte swam across the Atlantic Ocean, a total of 5,600 kilometres in 72 days, swimming 6 to 8 hours daily. He was accompanied by two sailors on a sailboat.
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Swimming has been a sport at every modern Summer Olympics. It has been open to women since 1912. A swim cap, or bathing cap, is a Silicone, Latex or Lycra cap worn on the head by recreational and competitive swimmers.Dapyx Software network: MP3 Explorer | Ebook Manager | Zenithic