Know The History Of Swimming
12 November 2020
The propulsion of the body through water by combined arm and leg motions and the natural flotation of the body is how swimming is defined in recreation and sports. It is an all-around body developer exercise and is particularly useful in therapy and exercise of differently-abled people.
Archaeological evidence has shown that swimming has been practiced from as early as 2500 BC in Egypt and thereafter in Assyrian, Greek, and Roman civilization. A 10,000 years old rock painting found on the cave of swimmers news Wadi Sura in southwestern Egypt had a people swimming engraved on it which also shows that swimming had been practiced very early. Also, an Egyptian clay seal dated between 9000 BC and 4000BC shows four people who are believed to be swimming a variant of the front crawl. So, there exist several pieces of evidence of swimming being practiced from the early stages.
In Greece and Rome swimming was a part of marital training. There is evidence on orient swimming that dates back to the 1st century BCE about the swimming race held in Japan. Organized swimming events were held in the 19th century and by the 17th century and imperial edict had made the teaching of swimming compulsory in the schools. The Romans build swimming pools, distinct from their baths since by the time the thing was not just used for bathing. Also in the 1st century BCE, the Roman Gaius Maecenas (Roman diplomat, counselor to the Roman emperor Augustus, and wealthy patron of such poets as Virgil and Horace) is said to have built the first heated swimming pool.
It is also said that during the time of 6th to 8th century BC Greek and Roman militaries used swimming to get trained for war. In 305 AD the Romans built an incredible pool which was over 900000 square feet. These pools were used for bathing and were also heated by giant fires in the basement beneath the floors of the pool to get heated. Pools had been an important part of the society and home as well during these days. Both the Romans and Greeks emperors had huge ornate pools with live fish in them. The first Jacuzzi style custom pool was designed and ordered by Gaius Maecenas, one of Augustus Cesar’s political advisors sometime around 8 BC. This pool was supposedly magnificent with waterfalls, lush gardens, overlooking terraces, libraries, villas, and another incredible luxurious décor.
Competitive Swimming
The early 1800s is the date when swimming was introduced as competitive swimming by the National Swimming Society in Britain. Indoor pools were built for the competition and the events become very popular in Britain and led to the formation of the Amateur Swimming Association in the year 1880. Internationally competitive swimming came to existence after the inclusion of the sports in the Olympic Games from their inception in 1869. In 1900 when swimming events were held it was held on the Seine River in France in a very unusual way, a 200m obstacle race involved climbing over a pole and a line of boats and swimming under them. After the formation of FINA (Fédération Internationale de natation (English: International Swimming Federation)), such oddities disappeared. The regulation was made for swimming competitions and the kinds of strokes allowed were reduced to freestyle, backstroke breaststroke, and butterfly.
Modern Day Pools
Deep Eddy Pool is the first in-ground pool in the United States and is one of the oldest pools in Texas. The pool began as a swimming hole in the Colorado River and become a resort in the 1920s and is now the popular swimming pool operated by the City of Austin. It is listed as a historic landmark on the National Register of Historic Places. Philadelphia Racquet Club gets the credit of the first above ground as well as the first in the world swimming pool in the United States. It was designed by the noted bridge builders, Roebling Construction Company, and was placed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1979. Adriatic cruise ship from the White Star Lines is regarded as the first swimming pool to literally cross the Atlantic Ocean in 1907.
Mainstream
Swimming Pool has became mainstreamed now. In America, after WWII it came to the mainstream. Also with the advent of Hollywood movies a swimming pool has become a status symbol. Swimming pools can be found in almost every nation in the world. A total of 200000 swimming pools has been made in New Zealand for approximately 4 million people.
Swimming Pool Evolution – A Timeline
