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A Brief History of Swimming Pools
Swimming is, by far, one of the most popular
pastimes in the world. It is also one of the oldest. As an organized
activity, swimming dates back to around 2500 BC. Swimming was
immensely popular in ancient Egypt, and there are a number of relics
from the period which depict the act of swimming in vivid and
awe-inspiring detail. In ancient Greece and Rome, swimming was
taught to boys as part of their elementary school curriculum.
Furthermore, the first known public swimming pools were built in
Rome.
Under the direction of a wealthy Roman lord named Gaius Maecenas,
the first heated swimming pool was also built for public use. Plato,
himself, once declared that anyone who could not swim lacked a
proper education. Who dares to argue with him? Aside from the Greeks
and Romans, many other ancient cultures have left evidence of their
love for swimming; among them the Babylonians, Assyrians, and
Phoenicians. There is also evidence of competitive swimming in Japan
over 2000 years ago.
In the 1830's, swimming became extremely popular in England with the
establishment of various swim clubs. At the time, the breaststroke
was the most oft used technique. In 1885, Captain Matthew Webb
became the first man to swim across the English Channel and the
breaststroke was his technique of choice. Two of the most popular
swim clubs from the time were The Otter Swimming Club and The
Leander Swimming Club.
In 1896, the first of the modern Olympic Games were held in Athens,
Greece. Naturally, competitive swimming played a significant role.
The swimming event was held in the Aegean Sea, in the bay of Zea.
The gold medalist for the swimming event was a fellow named Alfred
Hoyos Guttman. Of the event, he said that his greatest struggle "was
against the towering twelve-foot waves and the terribly cold water."
Swimming continues to play a prominent role in the Olympic Games.
Swimming continues to be the sport of choice for many of today's
athletes. Most cities have public swimming facilities, where you can
swim for competitively or merely for fun. In fact, a number of
public swimming areas also offer lessons for a very reasonable
price. If you are a keen swimmer, you might even consider installing
a pool in your backyard. With summer just around the corner, it
would be a good time to start planning.
About the Author: D. Benjamin is the owner of
iapsales.com LLC - a family business specializing in HVAC products. We
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