Just When You Thought It Wasn't Safe... How Wilbert Longfellow turned America into a nation of swimmers.

This article discusses the impact of Wilbert Longfellow on swimming in America. Longfellow, a marine journalist turned swimming enthusiast, believed that the best way to promote swimming was through entertaining water pageants. These pageants combined theatrical elements with aquatic demonstrations and lifesaving techniques, ultimately popularizing synchronized swimming. Longfellow's efforts, along with the establishment of nationwide water safety programs, led to a significant decrease in drowning rates and a rise in the number of Americans participating in water activities. [Extracted from the article]

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