Page 84 - Celebrating 50 Years of the International swimming Hall of Fame

Ben Franklin The Swimmer

Here are some of the images from Thevenot’s book illustrating his swimming skills. Thevenot’s swimming had no concern for
speed, instead it was what we might call exhibitionist swimming. He lived in an age when court jesters, acrobats, jugglers and
minstrels were very popular and this probably influenced his approach to swimming. If we had watched him he would probably
think he was showing off by doing 20 or 30 different kinds stunts, like swimming on the belly while holding both hands behind
his back. Carrying the left foot in the right hand, pretending to put you boot on while floating in the water, or swimming while
holding the arms up out of the water. When he was 19, he gave a demonstration of all of Thevenot’s motions and positions, along
others he devised on his own, while swimming a distance of over three miles in the Thames River, during his first trip to London.

But of his swimming achievements, he is best remembered for what most historians consider are his first inventions, swimming
hand paddles and swim fins. While he showed practical genius, these inventions were from a suggestion by Thevenot.

“Several little machines might be found very diverting in swimming, to
promote expedition, and make the motions of one single man in the water
swifter than any boat; Contrivances of thin small planes of wood with valves,
or otherwise small hinges, fastened to the legs or feet, might be very serviceable
to that end and perform the part of fishes fins.”

Neither the paddles or fins proved to be successful in his eyes. The hand
paddles tired his arms and the fins, because Thevenot’s swimming used a
breaststroke kick that utilized the inner part of the foot, proved useless.
Scientists know that failure is the first step towards great discovery.

There are many other examples of Thévenot’s influence on Franklin’s science.
For example: In a letter by Jared Eliot, 3 May 1753, explaining meteorological observations submitted to the Royal Society
in 1753, he wrote: “It was while blowing bubbles in the air, using soap suds and a tobacco pipe as a child, that he had first
understood that water is specifically 850 times heavier than air.”

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