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
1978 – The Second “World’s Strongest Man Competition”
In my last article, I wrote about the first World’s Strongest Man contest in
Lawrence McCutcheon and the 1975 Postseason
The featured halfback for the Los Angeles Rams in 1975 was Lawrence McCutcheon, a
Super Bowl L (Denver Broncos vs. Carolina Panthers): An Ultimate Recount of the Game
Today we have Super Bowl 50, held on February 7, 2016, between the second-time
1977 – The First “World’s Strongest Man Competition”
Mostly everyone, whether a fan or not, has seen some footage of the World’s
Masters of Delusion: Big John Studd and Dutch Doogan
As far back as I remember I always wanted to be six foot ten.
Madison Street Agreement (Between Chicago Bears and Cardinals)
No one knew it existed. But suddenly, there it was: a dusty, withered document,
A Brief History of the Las Vegas Raiders and NFL For Beginners
The Raiders are one of the 32 teams that make up the National Football
1970 Detroit Lions (First Playoff Game Since 1957 Championship)
The Detroit Lions won the NFL Championship in 1935, defeating the NY Giants 26–7,