Swimming

HISTORY 

The earliest records of swimming date back to Stone Age paintings from around 7,000 years ago. The picture below is a painting of swimmers in the Cave of the Swimmers, Wadi Sura, Western Desert, Egypt. 

 Roland Unger 

The Romans were renowned for their mastery of the water. They used animal bladders to support learner-swimmers. When Horace in his Satires in 35 BC discussed hard and easy ways of training, he referred to the use of animal bladders, which he called water wings. 

It is not certain who introduced swimming into the British Isles. It might have been the Phoenicians, Vikings, or Romans. Or the Britons may have learned swimming independently. 

An early literary evidence of swimming is contained in the seventh- or eighth-century epic poem Beowulf. For five days its hero is made to swim in a tempestuous sea, killing sea monsters with his sword. 

Many historical sailors decided not knowing how to swim beneficial, if they fell overboard it would be a swifter death than if they knew how to swim.

Aquatic sports fell out of favor during Europe's Dark Ages as diseases, especially the epidemics that decimated Europe's population in frightening measure, were thought to be spread by the water. As a result, ordinary people began to shun swimming for fear of catching a fatal sickness. 

However, members of the nobility, it appears, did not give up swimming. They felt that it was not only a military necessity but that its skill and art were part of the true gentleman.

Timurid conqueror Babur's troops swim across a river. in the early 16th century

In 1531, Sir Thomas Elyot published The Boke Named The Governour. He referred to "the Usefulness of Swymmynge," though his concern was limited to times of war. 

The first book on swimming is attributed to a German professor of languages, Nicolaus Wynmann, who published in Latin, in 1538, a volume in the then popular dialog form. He called it, The Diver, or A Dialog Concerning the Art of Swimming, Both Pleasant and Joyful to Read. 

Benjamin Franklin was a good and keen swimmer. One of his first inventions was a set of paddles to give him greater swimming speed. 

The nineteenth century saw a revival of aquatic sports. The world owes the rebirth of swimming to Britain and London is said to have been the first city to introduce competitive swimming

Swimming clubs began to be established in the 1860s, and the Serpentine Club claims to be one of the oldest. Soon inter-club competitions followed.

In 1869 the Metropolitan Swimming Association was formed in the UK. It changed its name later to the London Swimming Association. 

From 1838-1902, it was illegal to go swimming during the daytime at public beaches in Australia.

The crawl had been practiced either unknown or unheeded among indigenous American tribes, including the Aztecs, as well as in western Africa, and on the islands of the South Pacific. 

In 1844 a Native American came to London and won a competition swimming the crawl, a stroke never seen by the Western world, who then regarded it as "un-European". 

Swimmer breathing during front crawl

The Cavill family developed the crawl in Australia and were responsible for its world-wide adoption. London-born Frederick Cavill had excelled in swimming in his own country. Twice he attempted to emulate Captain Webb in crossing the English Channel. Each time using the breast stroke, he had failed within sight of his goal.

In 1879 Frederick Cavill emigrated to Australia with his family. He built and owned in Sydney a floating swimming pool and trained numerous people in the sport, including his six sons.

One of his sons, Australian champion swimmer Richmond "Dick" Cavill developed the crawl with his brother "Tums." It was Aleck Wickham, a Solomon Islander living in Sydney and employed there as houseboy to a doctor, who gave the Cavills the idea when they saw him swim at Bronte baths. 

Alick Wickham (left) with swimmer Dick Cavill in the early 1920s.

Dick Cavill was the first to use the crawl in a competition, winning the 100 yards State championship in 1899.

At first, people called the crawl the "splash stroke." How it gained the name "crawl" has a number of explanations. 

The flip turn in swimming was invented by backstroker Adolph Kiefer and his coach, Julian "Tex" Robertson, while Kiefer was training for the 1936 Olympics.

The butterfly stroke in swimming was invented in the 1930s as a variant of the breaststroke but not accepted as a separate stroke until 1952.

On December 17, 1967, Harold Holt, the Prime Minister of Australia, went for a swim at Cheviot Beach near Portsea, Victoria, during rough weather. He disappeared and his body was never found. Holt's disappearance remains a mystery, and there have been many theories about what happened to him. Some believe that he drowned, while others have suggested that he was abducted by a submarine or that he faked his own death. 

FUN SWIMMING FACTS

Swims upside down still looks like "Swims."

The "Freestyle" Stroke is actually called the Front Crawl, It just happens that in the freestyle swimming competition that Front Crawl is universally the fastest stroke so everyone uses it. That is where the name/misnamed stroke comes from.

Australians introduced the crawl and the butterfly stroke in competitive swimming, and the continent has produced many world-class swimmers. 

Swimming uses nearly every muscle in your body.

Newborn babys can instinctively swim for the first four months or so of their lives. But this reflex is lost and has to be re-taught.

If you go swimming, it's estimated that you swallow as many viruses as there are people on Earth.

A study of 14,000 people around the world revealed that over half could not swim.

44% of Americans and 20% of Britons can't swim.

Jellyfish have developed the most efficient form of swimming among all animals. They manage to achieve a 48% lower cost of movement than other aquatic animals.

Sources Europress Encyclopedia, Compton's Encyclopedia