Swimming pools have a long history in the cultures of Greece, Rome, Assyria and Egypt dating back to 2500 B.C. Their modern era popularity took off in the 1800s with swimming clubs, and continued to grow with the start of the modern Olympics in 1896, which included swimming competitions.
- 2500 BC: Egyptian hieroglyphics depicting swimming.
- 36 BC: Japanese historic records describe swimming competitions.
- 78 AD: Romans introduced swimming as a social event to Britain.
- 1400s: The Catholic Church objects to naked bathing on moral grounds.
- 1800s: Acrobatic diving is developed in Germany and Sweden.
- 1830s: Swimming clubs are established in England.
- 1844: The Breaststroke loses popularity after Britain is introduced to the Native American “Crawl.”
- 1862: The First documented indoor swimming pool is built in England.
- 1885: The first diving competition is held in Germany. Briton Matthew Webb is the first documented person to swim the English Channel.
- 1900: The Paris Olympics feature an obstacle swimming event in the Seine River.
- 1907: The White star line installs a swimming pool on its ocean liner, The Adriatic.
- 1908: The international governing body of swimming, FINA (Federation Internationale de Nataion de Amateur), is founded.
- 1912: Women’s swimming events are added to Olympic Games in Stockholm.
- 1924: Johnny Weissmuller sets 67 world swimming records before becoming a Hollywood movie star.
- 1943: Two-piece swimsuits are introduced after wartime shortages prompt a 10% reduction in the amount of fabric used to create swimsuits.
- 1972: Mark Spitz wins seven gold medals in the Summer Olympics.
- 2008: American Michael Phelps becomes the world’s most decorated Olympic swimming with a career total of 14 gold medals.