Swimming

Swimming is the method by which living creatures move themselves through water in a method not involving simply walking on the bottom. Swimming is a popular recreational activity and a competitive sport. There are many health benefits of swimming, but it also entails risks if basic precautions are not taken.

History

Main article: History of swimming

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Swimming has been known since prehistoric times. Drawings from the stone age were found in "the cave of swimmers" near Wadi Sora (or Sura) in the southwestern part of Egypt. Written references date back up to 2000 B.C., including Gilgamesh, the Iliad, the Odyssey, the Bible (Ezekiel 47:5, Acts 27:42, Isaiah 25:11), Beowulf, and other sagas. In 1538 Nicolas Wynman, German professor of languages, wrote the first swimming book "Colymbetes". Competitive swimming in Europe started around 1800, mostly using breaststroke. The front crawl, then called the trudgen was introduced in 1873 by John Arthur Trudgen, copying it from Native Americans.

Related Topics:
Stone age - Cave - Egypt - 2000 B.C. - Gilgamesh - Iliad - Odyssey - Bible - Beowulf - 1538 - German - Book - Europe - 1800 - Breaststroke - Front crawl - 1873 - Native American

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Swimming was part of the first modern Olympic games in 1896 in Athens. In 1902 the trudgen was improved by Richard Cavill, using the flutter kick. In 1908, the world swimming association Federation Internationale de Natation (FINA) was formed. Butterfly was first a variant of Breaststroke, until it was accepted as a separate style in 1952.

Related Topics:
Olympic games - 1896 - Athens - 1902 - 1908 - Federation Internationale de Natation (FINA) - Butterfly - Breaststroke - 1952

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