Swimming has been part of the Olympics since 1896. Swimming was established as a popular competitive sport in England in 1844. By the year 1837, London was holding regular swimming competitions. The stroke butterfly was the original novelty because it was too tiring to swim. Breaststroke used to be known as the "silent stroke." In 1837, six indoor pools with diving boards were put into London, England. In 1845, the first swimming championship was held in Sydney, Australia. Matthew Webb swam 38 miles breaststroke on Augsut 24, 1875. In 1885, they held the first diving competition in Germany. In 1892, they had the first women's championships in Scotland. In 1908, the Federation Internationale de Natation de Amateur (FINA) was formed. Johnny Weissmuller set 67 world records and became "Tarzan" in 1924. They first started underwater filming in 1928. The Japanese dominated the Los Angeles Olympics in 1932. The first modern Olympics held only 4 events. Females are usually dominating many events. The U.S. Team is the team that most often sets records. The first swimming pools were built in ancient Egypt. The Special Olymics now has 22 swimming events for men and 22 swimming events for women.
