Swimming

Trivia, Odd Facts, and Interesting Tidbits of Information About Swimming

By Mat Luebbers, About.com

Some hotels in Las Vegas have gambling tables floating in their swimming pools. (Dishout)
Pianist Yanni was formally a member of the Greek National Swimming Team. (Dishout)
The first woman to break the one-minute barrier in the 100y freestyle was Helene Madison of Seattle in 1932. (USA Swimming)
Don Schollander was the first person to break two minutes in the 200m freestyle in 1963 with a 1:58.4. (USA Swimming)
In 1924, Sybil Bauer became the first woman to break an existing men's record, when she won the 200m backstroke at the Olympic Games. (USA Swimming)
The Olympic flame is lit at the ancient site of Olympia by natural rays of the Sun reflected off a curved mirror. Women dressed in robes, resembling those worn in ancient times, light the flame. (Indianinfo)
In some volcanic areas such as Iceland, the temperature rises beneath the surface of the earth as high as 680 degrees F (360 degrees C) that engineers can tap the geothermal energy by piping hot water from underground to warm nearby homes, offices and factories. An outdoor swimming pool in the Icelandic capital of Reykjavik is heated so effectively by this method that it remains open and in use all year round. Reader's Digest Book of Facts (Dishout)

Guide since 1999

Mat Luebbers
Swimming Guide