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 Monsters of the Midway: Inside the 1940s Chicago Bears Dynasty
The Chicago Bears franchise started in 1919 as the Decatur Staleys. The Staleys were
The Evolution of Football Tactics Through the Decades
Football became a game of strategy, a battle for control of every blade of
The Evolution of Sports Betting and Its Influence on Historic Sporting Moments
The sports betting industry has undergone a significant transformation over the past decade, shifting
The Evolution of Triathlon Pacing: From Iron Men to Digital Calculators
Triathlon is one of the youngest major sports with a specific, documentable origin story.
The Evolution of Prediction: From Ancient Gambling to FanDuel Predict
A Modern Take on a Long Tradition of Sports Forecasting Image by David from
The Result No One Expected Is Usually Built Earlier Than It Looks
A true upset does not feel surprising only because the underdog wins. It lands
FIFA World Cup’s Worst Ever Cases of Inter-Squad Turmoil
The 2026 FIFA World Cup is fast approaching, and while excitement levels are ramping
The 2026 Transfer Window Sparks Early Attention
Off-season activity in soccer during 2026 keeps showing familiar patterns: big-name transfers, shifts in