A Brief History of Swimming Pools

A Brief History of Swimming Pools

Swimming is, by far, one of the most current pastimes in the world.  It is also one of the oldest.  As an organized activity, swimming dates help to around 2500 BC.  Swimming was immensely common in mature Egypt, and there are a number of relics from the period which depict the act of swimming in bright and awe-inspiring detail.  In mature Greece and Rome, swimming was taught to boys as portion 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 spend.  Plato, himself, once declared that anyone who could not swim lacked a generous education.  Who dares to argue with him?   Aside from the Greeks and Romans, many other dilapidated cultures have left evidence of their fancy 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 current in England with the establishment of various swim clubs.  At the time, the breaststroke was the most oft archaic 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 approved swim clubs from the time were The Otter Swimming Club and The Leander Swimming Club.

In 1896, the first of the recent Olympic Games were held in Athens, Greece.  Naturally, competitive swimming played a necessary 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 wintry 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 ticket.  If you are a alive to swimmer, you might even think installing a pool in your backyard.  With summer unbiased around the corner, it would be a honorable time to inaugurate planning.