Has swimming changed since 1933

I have tried to find the 100 m record for the 100 backstroke in 1932 - 1933. I think you will find that it is about 1:10. I know the record for the 100 breaststroke was about 1:24. The 400m free was 4:56. George: Thanks for sharing these videos. I happen to look up the World Record in the 100 meter backstroke in the 1932 - 1933 time frame. The record was by George Kojac at 1:08.2 in winning the gold medal at the 1928 Olympics. That time was the only men's swimming time not broken during the 1932 Olympics. That record stood until Al Vandewege broke it in 1934 at 1:07.4 and that record stood until Adolph Kiefer went 1:07.0 in 1935. In 1936, Adolph Kiefer brought that time down to an impressive 1:04.8 and did that time at the Brennan Pools in Detroit. That time was a World Record until 1948. The 100 meter breaststroke World Record during this time period was 1:14.0 by Walter Spence set in 1927 and that record stood until Jacques Cartonnet broke it in 1932 with a time of 1:13.6 and he eventually lowered the record to 1:12.4 in 1933. In 1935, John Higgins who used to coach at Navy went 1:10.8 and in 1936 went 1:10.0 and I believe in this time period is where the stroke started to change in the article that you linked about Jack Nelson and the changes that eventually led to the formation of the butterfly stroke. In fact that is a famous story about Walter Spence and how he lost his first individual medley race and he believed Henry Myers used an illegal over arm recovery in that famous 150 medley race. The officials were convinced that it was not illegal and this set a precedent for the future use of the stroke. Then everyone started swimming like this and orthodox breaststroke with underwater arm recovery with frog kick almost became extinct as a racing stroke. I believe the 1936 Olympics may have been the last time orthodox breaststroke, as it was called back then, was used in racing until the 1956 Olympics. And that 1956 Olympics was the only one where there was underwater swimming in breaststroke and FINA banned this style in 1957, so 1960 would be the first Olympic year where swimmers were racing orthodox breaststroke and masters swimmer Bill Mulliken won the gold medal in the 200 Breaststroke. In 1933, the World Record for the 400 Free was 4:46.4 by Shozo Makino of Japan. The American Record was by Buster Crabbe (Flash Gordon) in a time of 4:48.4 from his gold medal performance in the 1932 Olympics. In 1934, Jack Medica smashed the 4:46.4 World Record with a time of 4:38.7 and this record stood for 7 years until 1941. Jack won the gold medal at the 1936 Olympics with a much slower time of 4:44.5 and he and Roy Saari are the only swimmers in NCAA Division I history to go undefeated in swimming events in NCAA Championships.

I have tried to find the 100 m record for the 100 backstroke in 1932 - 1933. I think you will find that it is about 1:10. I know the record for the 100 breaststroke was about 1:24. The 400m free was 4:56. George: Thanks for sharing these videos. I happen to look up the World Record in the 100 meter backstroke in the 1932 - 1933 time frame. The record was by George Kojac at 1:08.2 in winning the gold medal at the 1928 Olympics. That time was the only men's swimming time not broken during the 1932 Olympics. That record stood until Al Vandewege broke it in 1934 at 1:07.4 and that record stood until Adolph Kiefer went 1:07.0 in 1935. In 1936, Adolph Kiefer brought that time down to an impressive 1:04.8 and did that time at the Brennan Pools in Detroit. That time was a World Record until 1948. The 100 meter breaststroke World Record during this time period was 1:14.0 by Walter Spence set in 1927 and that record stood until Jacques Cartonnet broke it in 1932 with a time of 1:13.6 and he eventually lowered the record to 1:12.4 in 1933. In 1935, John Higgins who used to coach at Navy went 1:10.8 and in 1936 went 1:10.0 and I believe in this time period is where the stroke started to change in the article that you linked about Jack Nelson and the changes that eventually led to the formation of the butterfly stroke. In fact that is a famous story about Walter Spence and how he lost his first individual medley race and he believed Henry Myers used an illegal over arm recovery in that famous 150 medley race. The officials were convinced that it was not illegal and this set a precedent for the future use of the stroke. Then everyone started swimming like this and orthodox breaststroke with underwater arm recovery with frog kick almost became extinct as a racing stroke. I believe the 1936 Olympics may have been the last time orthodox breaststroke, as it was called back then, was used in racing until the 1956 Olympics. And that 1956 Olympics was the only one where there was underwater swimming in breaststroke and FINA banned this style in 1957, so 1960 would be the first Olympic year where swimmers were racing orthodox breaststroke and masters swimmer Bill Mulliken won the gold medal in the 200 Breaststroke. In 1933, the World Record for the 400 Free was 4:46.4 by Shozo Makino of Japan. The American Record was by Buster Crabbe (Flash Gordon) in a time of 4:48.4 from his gold medal performance in the 1932 Olympics. In 1934, Jack Medica smashed the 4:46.4 World Record with a time of 4:38.7 and this record stood for 7 years until 1941. Jack won the gold medal at the 1936 Olympics with a much slower time of 4:44.5 and he and Roy Saari are the only swimmers in NCAA Division I history to go undefeated in swimming events in NCAA Championships.