Swimming Pool History

Swimming Pool Evolution – A Timeline:

 2500 BC: Egyptian hieroglyphics depicting swimming.
400 BC - Egyptians and Romans leisurely dived off cliffs.
Swimming has been around for thousands of years. In 400 BC Egyptians and Romans
leisurely dived off cliffs and in the 14th Century, medieval knights mastered
swimming in armour! The English is thought to be the first modern society to develop
swimming as a sport.

36 BC - Japanese Emperor Suigiu encouraged swimming.

"In Japan swimming was one of the noble skills of the Samurai, and historic records
describe swimming competitions
in 36 BC organized by emperor
Suigui (spelling unclear), which
are the first known swimming
races."
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.
By the 17th century, an imperial edict had made the teaching of swimming
compulsory in schools. 

18th Century - Sea swimming popularized by George III

19th Century - Germany and Sweden developed acrobatic diving.

1844 - A small race exposed Britain to American Indians ’crawl’ style. Crawl

soon dwarfed Breaststroke`s popularity.

1845 - First swimming championship debut in Sydney.

1875 - Captain Webb pioneered the English Channel crossing.
On August 24, 1875, Captain Matthew Webb of Great Britain becomes the first man
to successfully swim the English Channel without assistance. After the feat, Webb
became an international celebrity, admired for both his prowess in the water and his
penchant for risk-taking.
1885 - First diving competition, Germany.
1892 - First women’s championship, Scotland.
The first European amateur swimming competitions were in 1889 in Vienna.
The world's first women's swimming championship was held in Scotland in 1892.

1908 - The Federation Internationale de Natation de Amateur (FINA) formed.

Fédération Internationale de Natation Amateur or FINA is the international
governing body of swimming, water polo, diving, synchronized swimming, and open
water swimming, recognized by the International Olympic Committee for
administering international aquatic competitions
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 - Synchronised swimming a Commonwealth Games event.

Synchronised swimming is one of the sports at the quadrennial Commonwealth
Games competition. It has been a Commonwealth Games sport since 1986. It is an
optional sport and may, or may not, be included in the sporting program of each
edition of the Games.

REFERENCE
https://www.cirruspools.com/swimming-pool-history/