July 19, 1922 – This was truly a monumental moment in swimming history! American swimmer Johnny Weissmuller became the first person to break the 1-minute mark barrier for the 100-meter freestyle swim. Weissmuller was like a torpedo as he swam the races duration recording a 58.6 second time at a pool in Alameda, California.
The talented athlete set numerous world records along with winning five gold medals in the Olympics for the US. Johnny won the 100m freestyle and the 4 × 200 m relay team event in the 1924 Summer Olympics in Paris and the 1928 Summer Olympics in Amsterdam. Weissmuller also won gold in the 400m freestyle, as well as a bronze medal in the water polo competition in Paris.
His Olympic fame and good looks had him cast into films in Hollywood including the 1932 movie of “Tarzan the Apeman” in which he developed the famous Tarzan yell that is still associated with the vine-swinging hero today.
To find more great daily sports history make sure to check out the Sports Jersey Dispatch and Pigskin Dispatch.
More From Sports History Network
The Collector’s Market for Historic Sporting Firearms
Not every antique firearm carries the same weight in the collector market. Historic sporting
The History of Sports Winning: How Bookmakers and Canadian Online Casino Rewards Moved to Instant Payout Transactions
Before online sportsbooks and digital wallets, collecting winnings required patience. Betting was tied to
The Most Profitable Sports for Bettors Lately
Decisions in sports betting today rely less on gut feeling, more on numbers. Looking
The History of Sports Betting and How It Became a Multibillion-Dollar Industry
Ancient Greeks placed wagers on athletes competing at Olympia. That is the oldest recorded
What Makes the Masters Unique to the Other Golf Majors?
Every year, golf’s biggest names gather in Georgia for the most recognisable tournament in
The Nesser Brothers: Pro Football’s Forgotten Pioneers
Back in the prehistoric days of professional football, a family of rugged, tough as
How Pickleball Grew From Backyard Game to Global Phenomenon
Imagine you’re a kid tagging along with your parents, they just finished a game
How the Super Bowl Became America’s Biggest Betting Event
The Super Bowl began as a relatively niche event. It didn’t attract the enormous