05 Feb The History Of Olympic Swimming In Pictures

Olympic Swimming, 1896 - 1908

From About.com

Ever wonder when the first time was that people jumped into the water to decide who could get from point A to point B faster?  As this post from About Sports points out, the history of swimming itself dates back to prehistoric man.  Additionally, the original Olympics swimming events were held over roughly measured courses in open water.  This post shows some amazing pictures that date back to the Modern Olympic era, from 1896 on.  

Here is an excerpt from the post: