Category: History
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Hell or High Water: How Racism Kept Black America From Swimming
Now, we’ve all heard the stereotype that black folks can’t swim. But, unfortunately, that cliché is based in haunting truths. The numbers speak for themselves: 64 percent of black kids have no or low swimming ability, versus 45 percent of Latinx children and 40 percent of white kids. A 2014 study also found that black children between…
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Olympic Gold Medalist Swimmer Eleanor Holm Among World’s Fair Performers in New York (1939)
In 1939 at the World’s Fair in the New York City borough of Queens, Olympic gold medalist swimmer Eleanor Holm (on the right in the opening shot), a native of the New York City borough of Brooklyn, is among the performers at the Aquacade attraction https://youtu.be/jmOUNuuH1Rc
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The Surprisingly Fascinating First Trip to “The Games”
The 1890s were a gilded age of sports in America. Backed by the country’s moral and intellectual elite in the form of ministers and urban reformers, institutions like the YMCA were popularized, enforcing the rather novel idea of healthful recreation via organized sports.
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This Egyptian swimmer broke boundaries for women | Words of Olympians
Rania Elwani broke boundaries and inspired the world. In “The Golden Fishâ€, the Egyptian tells how she became the first Arab woman to swim in an Olympic final.
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Trying to Swim in an Edwardian Bathing Dress
In this video I attempt to swim in an Edwardian Bathing Dress that I made. It actually went better then I expected.
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The Matawan Man-Eater | The Inspiration for Jaws
There’s no denying that the movie Jaws definitely made some beach-goers scared to go into the water. However, the story that inspired Jaws was what really had people scared to have a day at the beach. The Jersey Shore shark attacks of 1916 were so unexpected, sudden, and violent that they stuck in the public’s…
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How Drowning Became a Tudor Nightmare | Absolute History
How drowning caused many deaths in the 16th century. https://youtu.be/F6Y22rIyLrQ
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“The (Swimming) Race of the Century” at the Athens 2004 Olympic Games | Throwback Thursday
Enjoy this look back at the Men’s 200m Freestyle final the Summer Olympic Games in Athens 2004, also known as “the Race of the Century” in Olympic swimming or “the greatest swimming race of all time”. Featuring some of the most iconic Olympic swimmers of all time, Ian Thorpe, Pieter van den Hoogenband, and Michael…
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Cameron van der Burgh’s new life in London
It’s been all change for Olympic swimmer Cameron van der Burgh, who’s swapped competition for oil trading, and Cape Town for London, where he’s the number one customer at Harrods.