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
Quarterbacks from the 1970s who “Maybe” should be in the Hall of Fame
I know that I will be getting a lot of feedback on this topic,
Super Bowl XXIX (Chargers vs. 49ers): An Ultimate Recount of the Game
Today we have Super Bowl XXIX, which was held on January 29, 1995, at
NFL Sponsorships and Their Influence on the Online Casino Industry
The National Football League has long been not just a sports organization, but a
Little Big Man: Joey Sternaman of the Chicago Bears
It is now common in the National Football League to have quarterbacks who are
3 Legendary Dirt Bike Events Shaping Riding Culture
The smell of castor oil, the thwap of two-strokes ricocheting off canyon walls, and
The Match Starts at Tea Time: Football Fever and the Numbers Behind Bets
Football fandom here is rarely quiet. It’s the sport that sneaks into daily life:
Football Learning Academy: An Online Resource Of Gridiron History
In this episode, I talk to Ken Crippen about his new company, the Football
Tales From Pro Football Hall of Fame Players (My Personal Accounts)
Roughly twenty years ago, while browsing the Pro Football Hall of Fame website, I