The History of Swimming Pools

Humans have enjoyed swimming in man-made pools since the days of ancient Egypt, Greece, and Rome, and swimming in natural bodies of water has been popular for much longer. As for how the swimming pool we’re all familiar with today came to be, there’s no one single inventor. It was a series of advancements in technology and other factors that eventually led to the swimming pools commonly built and used today. The experienced pros at San Diego Pools, the experts in pool construction in San Diego homeowners and businesses trust for high-quality service and impeccable craftsmanship, dive into this history below.

Ancient Pools

Archeological evidence from modern-day Pakistan suggests this is where the first known pools existed somewhere around 2600 BCE. These early pools were made of brick and some binding materials. They also included benches, stairs, and nearby decks to make access easier. It’s believed these pools were likely used for religious purposes.

Public Baths

Still around as surviving ruins today, public baths were another early type of pool that became popular in Rome and Greece around 600 BCE. The Romans are also credited with creating the first heated pools. The pools built as public baths varied in size, with some as big as around 900,000 square feet.

Modern-Day Swimming Pools

The concept of the swimming pool we know today didn’t attract more attention until the 1800s in Europe. Accessible to the general public, the first indoor swimming pool debuted in 1828 in London. Swimming pools for competitive swimming were essentially “invented” or at least popularized by the National Swimming Society in 1837. They constructed six pools for this purpose throughout the London area.

Olympic Swimming Pools & Pools in the U.S.

Swimming pools were spotlighted on a larger scale in 1896, when the first modern Olympic Games were held in Athens. However, there still wasn’t much interest in private backyard swimming pools at that point. This was largely because swimming attire at the time primarily consisted of wool fabric, which wasn’t all too comfy, especially with anything involving water. In the 1860s, the first public bath pool came to the United States. The first above-ground swimming pool debuted in Philadelphia in 1907.

Advances in Swimming Pool Technology

New technology and techniques developed in the early 1900s contributed to the type of swimming pool you’re used to enjoying today. In the 1910s, improvements in sanitation and plumbing made it more practical for swimming pools to be constructed with proper filtration. Pool construction also became more budget-friendly when Carl E. Akeley invented gunite, a more affordable concrete blend.

Swimming Pools as We Know Them Today

The modern swimming pool industry in the United States kicked into high gear after World War II. This is when pools were more appealing to families open to the possibility of having direct access to a backyard swimming pool. Since that time, swimming pool design trends and techniques have advanced to the point where practically any style you prefer can become a beautiful and welcome backyard addition.

If you’re looking for the perfect way to have fun while boosting physical fitness, a swimming pool can be exactly what you need. As an award-winning swimming pool builder San Diego families and businesses have trusted for more than four decades, San Diego Pools can create a custom pool for you that offers a great way to exercise as well as a place to relax and get away from it all. Give us a call today at 888-707-7786.