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History Of Swimming.
The earliest records of people swimming are drawings found in the
Kebir desert, which date from about 6000 years ago. The Nagoda
bas-relief also has paintings of swimmers that are 5000 years old.
There are many other ancient depictions of swimming from as far a
field as Babylon and Assyria (in the Middle East), although many of
the drawings and paintings come from what is now Italy.
The Bible, the Iliad and the Odyssey all contain references to
swimming. Many ancient civilizations swam, including the Egyptians,
Phoenicians, Persians, Romans and Greeks. Plato once declared that
anyone who could not swim lacked a proper education, and Julius
Caesar was known for his swimming prowess.
The English are thought to be the first modern society to develop
competitive swimming, which began in London in 1837. The most
popular stroke at the time was breaststroke, although the recently
developed sidestroke was also used. Invitations to compete were sent
far and wide, and in 1844 several Native Americans turned up, one
swimming 130 feet in 30 seconds to win the race. Their stroke was
described as using their arms in a motion "like a windmill" and
kicking up and down - an early form of front crawl.
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