History of Swimming

History of Swimming:

Swimming has been recorded since prehistoric times, dated back to 2500BC.  In many civilizations, drawings were found of people swimming. 

(Painted caves in Gilf Kebir, Egypt)

The timeline of how Swimming as a sport was developed is as shown below.(pardon the wordiness)

2500 BC - First Egyptian hieroglyphics depicting swimming.
400 BC - Egyptians and Romans leisurely dived off cliffs.

36 BC - Japanese Emperor Suigiu encouraged swimming.
78 AD - Romans introduced swimming to Britain as a manly social event.
7th Century - Plagues unnerved swimming during the Dark Ages.
14th Century - Medieval knights to master swimming in armour.
15th Century - Church objected to naked bathing on moral grounds.
16th Century - Oxford and Cambridge University banned swimming after fatalities.
         - Swim author Digby claimed humans are better swimmers than fish.
17th Century
          - Japanese Emperor Go-Yoozei ruled that schoolchildren should swim.
         - Medicinal value of natural spa springs discovered in Britain.
18th Century - Sea swimming popularized by George III
19th Century - Germany and Sweden developed acrobatic diving.
1844 - A small race exposed Britain to red Indians 'crawl' style. Crawl soon dwarfed Breaststroke`s popularity.

1845 - First swimming championship debut in Sydney.
1875 - Captain Webb pioneered the English Channel crossing.
1885 - First diving competition, Germany.
1892 - First women's championship, Scotland.
1908 - The Federation Internationale de Natation de Amateur (FINA) formed.
1924 - Johnny Weissmuller set 67 world records, then became 'Tarzan'.
          - Canadian sportswomen premiered sychronised swimming.
1950 - Butterfly born as a Breaststroke loophole.
          - Japanese meticulously suited techniques to their physique.
1986 - Sychronised swimming a Commonwealth Games event.
                                                            --from the web site of the 2002 Commonwealth Games

HERE'S A VIDEO ABOUT THE LASTEST 2012 OLYMPICS WINNER :  MICHAEL PHELPS!

(video taken from youtube . no copyright intended.)
As you can see, Swimming only became a competitive sport in the early 1800s. Today, swimming is one of the main events in the Summer Olympics, and a favored family activity. Pools can be found in billions of cities worldwide, including indoor and outdoor aquatic facilities. They are featured in many hotels and apartment complexes, and are part of most high school and college gym courses. Advances in technology and availability have made swimming a major part of life in many cultures, and permanently changed the athletic world. 
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-florence :D