The History of Swimming

Swimming Book Written

Jun 22, 1539

The first swimming book is written by Nikolaus Wynmann. It was titled "Colymbetes". https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_swimming

Schoolchildren Should Swim

Jun 22, 1603

Japan's emperor, Go-Yozei, said that school-aged children needed to learn how to swim. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_swimming

The Art of Swimming

Jun 22, 1696

Melchisedech Thevenot writes a book titled "The Art of Swimming", which is used as a reference for swimming for a long time afterwards. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_swimming

Early Swimming

Jun 22, 1798

The Haloren from Germany taught very young children to swim, which set an example and advanced swimming greatly. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_swimming

First Indoor Pool

Jun 22, 1828

The first indoor pool, named St. Georges Baths, is built and allowed for public use. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_swimming

Competitive Sport

Jun 22, 1830

People start to compete in swimming in England. This created the competetive aspect of the sport that we have today. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_swimming

British Breaststroke

Jun 22, 1873

The British people only swam the breaststroke until this year. From then on, more and more strokes became allowed. Today we aren't only restricted to one stroke. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_swimming

The ASA

Jun 22, 1880

The Amateur Swimming Association is created, which is the first national governing body. There are already more than 300 clubs around England.

Olympic Swimming

Jun 22, 1896

Alfred Hajos wins the first swimming gold medal in the Olympics from the 100m freestyle event. This is the very first gold medal for a swimmer. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_swimming

Swimsuits

Jun 22, 1935

The first topless swimsuits for men are worn during a competition. This is still true today, as mainly all men's swimsuits are topless. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_swimming