Quick Facts About Swimming and Swimming Pools

Swimming is one of the best exercises and activities there is to do in the summer and all year-round. While some people never learn how to swim (it’s difficult when you’re landlocked), it’s a good use of time and energy to protect yourself should a trip to a waterfront area goes awry. But then, on a positive note, swimming has a multitude of positive aspects for the body and the mind. If you don’t have access to a pool, figure out the best way to get your swim on at a local spot. Or, start building pool wall viewing panels in your home swimming pool so everyone can see your progress.

1. Swimming is a better physical activity than walking or biking. An hour of swimming can burn 650 calories.
2. Swimming actually utilizes all the body’s major muscles.
3. Swimming can help reduce stress.
4. Swimming is also low-impact, so it can be a great exercise for rehabilitation.
5. Even the smallest industries have a thriving private swimming pool industry.
6. The fastest swim stroke is freestyling.
7. The slowest swim stroke is the breaststroke.
8. The Olympics use a 50-meter pool for the heats.
9. Short course pools are 20 to 25 meters long.
10. Swimming can still be dehydrating, so you must drink water while swimming.
11. People sweat while swimming.
12. According to ancient drawings, people have been swimming since as far back as 2,500 BCE.
13. Swimming became an Olympic sport in 1896.
14. Women could compete as swimmers in the Olympics starting in 1912.
15. The first woman to swim the entire English Channel was Gertrude Ederle in 1926.
16. In the surge of American consumerism post-WWII, residential swimming pools became desirable.
17. Synchronized swimming was added to the Olympic Games in 1984.
18. A pool was added to the White House in 1975 by President Gerald Ford.
19. The first man to swim the English Channel was Matthew Webb in 1875.
20. The first ocean liner to have a swimming pool and gym was the Titanic.
21. Supposedly, the largest swimming pool ever built was in Moscow post-Stalin.
22. The longest swimming pool in the world is in Casablanca, Morocco, and is filled with seawater. It’s also seven times bigger than a football field.
23. The world’s deepest swimming pool is located near Brussels, Belgium.
24. The largest swimming pool in the world is in Algarroba, Chile.
25. 65% of Americans can’t swim.
26. Freedivers can hold their breath for up to ten minutes.
27. The first swimming goggles were actually constructed from tortoise shells.
28. An insult used in ancient Greece was to accuse someone of not being able to run or swim.
29. A noble skill of a Japanese samurai was the swimming ability.
30. The first swimming book, written by Nikolaus Wynmann, was published in 1538 and was titled “A Dialogue on the Art of Swimming.”
31. The first bikini was invented in 1946 in Paris.