Twenty facts about Swimming (sport)

1. Swimming has been part of the modern Olympic Games since their inception in 1896, and is governed by the Fédération Internationale de Natation Amateur (FINA).
2. The aquatic sport of swimming is based on the human act of swimming, that is, locomotion in water by self propulsion, usually with the goal to complete a given distance in the smallest amount of time. 
3. There are also swimming competitions based on endurance or precedence rather than speed, such as crossing the English Channel or some other stretch of open water.
4. Breaststroke is the oldest type of stroke.
5. Competitive swimming consist of four different strokes. The different strokes one can swim in a race are the butterfly, breaststroke, freestyle (or front crawl), and backstroke.
6. In freestyle and backstroke you touch with only one hand when you finish.
   
   
7. The belief is widely held that swimming is the best aerobic exercise in the world.
8. In breaststroke and butterfly you need to touch with two hands at the same time when you finish.
9. Competitive swimming in Europe started around 1800, mostly using breaststroke.
10. Egyptians made a picture or symbol for swimming as far back as 2500 A.
11. The butterfly stroke was developed in the 1930s and was at first a variant of breaststroke, until it was accepted as a separate style in 1952.
12. Some people think swimming started when a person fell into the water and panicking, he started to swim in a way we call today dog paddle.
13. Drags slow you down in swimming because they are not skin tight.
14. Peanuts are a source of energy for swimmers.
15. In 1873 John Arthur Trudgen introduced the trudgen to Western swimming competitions, after copying the front crawl used by Native Americans.
16. Swimming can be done for competition and it is helpful in survival. 
17. Sidestroke is not swam in official competitions because they are drills during swimming practice.
18. The shorter your hair is the more chance you have for swimming faster because there is less friction.
19. In swimming, 50 free means two laps of freestyle because one lap of the pool is 25 yards so don't mistake 50 free for 50 laps freestyle.
20. You are disqualified if you do a bad dive such as a cannonball by accident or a false start.