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
Should These Five Former NFL Head Coaches Be In The Hall of Fame?
It must be noted that I wrote this article in March of 2018, before
Boxers vs. Wrestlers Matches Over The Years (Who Prevails?)
In this segment, I am going to focus on Boxer vs Wrestler matches that
Super Bowl XXV (Bills vs. Giants): An Ultimate Recount of the Game
Today we have Super Bowl XXV, which was held on January 27, 1991, at
G.O.A.T Debates: Who Were The Greatest NFL Players Of All-Time?
Is it just me? Is anyone else getting tired of the endless debates about
The Greatest Thanksgiving Game In Pro Football History (1974 Cowboys vs. Redskins)
There have been some really great pro football Thanksgiving Day games throughout the course
Bears vs. Cardinals: NFL’s Oldest Rivalry
It began over 100 years ago. An intense rivalry between two NFL teams like
Super Bowl XXIV (Broncos vs. 49ers): An Ultimate Recount of the Game
Today we have Super Bowl XXIV, which was held on January 28, 1990, at
Washington Football History: With Frank Reading
Frank Reading (host of Ringside With Reading: Boxing History From Yesteryear) hops in my