A “Peek” at the History of Swimsuits!
July 2024
Depending on your age, no doubt that there are memories of a variety of kinds, colors, and styles of swimsuits worn over time. Actually, both men’s and women’s swim attire has changed significantly!
Attire for leisure swimming (as compared to bathing for cleanliness...often meaning no swim suit!) seems to go back thousands of years. No doubt the Romans and Greeks brought it into a social context...and eventually into fashion consideration as well.
It seems humanity has gone full circle on the styling...there are what is known as the “bikini girls” that are depicted in Sicilian mosaics from about 2000 years ago. (slate.com) The modern bikini was invented in 1946 by a Frenchman, and named the garment after the Bikini Atoll. The Atoll is where bomb testing was done in the 1940’s, and the inventor thought that the new swimsuit would act just like that...making a big “splash” on the fashion scene. It did! Evolving social factors after World War II helped to propel it’s popularity. Variations were developed, including the thong, string bikinis, and other fashion ideas. The bikini/ two-piece design still is very popular as we all know.
Popular in the 1900’s, bathing dresses were adorned...3/4 length dresses that were colorful, yet not really meant for swimming...just beach-side attire and maybe a bit of wading in the water. They were often multiple layers and might cause one great challenges to actually swim in!
Men at the time often wore a one piece “bathing costume”...sleeveless and short legs...yet rather streamlined and actually meant for swimming. These were also called “swim trunks”...because they covered the trunk of the body. Oddly, “swim trunks” is still a term used today, yet has no meaning whatsoever!
Later, similar designs were developed for women. Over time the leg portion of the suit disappeared, and is very similar to what we still see in the Olympics today, for instance. Speedo’s by the way, were invented in 1928. Of course, the materials used to make bathing suits have advanced greatly to provide many benefits such as less drag resistance in the water, quick drying, color fastness, elasticity, etc.
For men to bath “topless” (also known as “bare back”) was quite a controversial step in the 1930’s. It was even illegal in certain locations in the U.S. With these laws being overturned, the modern age of swimming took a big step. For men, the fashion became more of a loose-fitting shorts-like garment, as compared to earlier tight-fitting ones. One wonders what the next phase in bathing attire will bring. In the meantime, just enjoy them on you or on others! ;o)
It’s that time to hit the beaches and get in the water! There are few greater pleasures than that.
Sea Michigan: On the Edge of Time
May 2024
Running north-south, up the middle of Sea Michigan...time is recaptured. That is where the eastern time zone ends, and the central time begins, geographically. This is the only place in the lower 48 states where time changes in the middle of a large body of water. Most peculiar...or, special! ;o)
The continental U.S. did not always have the four time zones that we know today. At one time, there were 144 local time zones in the U.S.! These were established locally or regionally by practice or local mandate. Often this was based upon “local mean time...based upon the location’s longitude (east-to-west location).
The railroads, as they began their expansion across the continent, of course, could not deal with this chaos and its implications for schedules. So, the railroad industry pushed for establishing its own 4 core time zones, and they were so implemented in 1883. Michigan originally adopted central time in 1885, and in 1915 Detroit changed to eastern time...and most of the rest of the state also accepted eastern time in 1931. In 1918, the federal Standard Time Act formally enacted these four time zones, which included the creation of daylight saving time as well. So time was still a bit relative to where you were on a somewhat local basis.
Well, to have a time zone boundary in the middle of Sea Michigan seems convenient for Michiganders in the lower peninsula as a “clean line”! Yet, that was not so easy for the UP. For the upper peninsula, the saga continued. The 1967 Uniform Time Act, the UP changed to Central Time and also did not include daylight savings time! In 1973, they changed their minds, and switched back to eastern time...with the exception of the four most western counties....Menominee, Dickinson, Iron, and Gogebic counties still to this day remaining on central time. Thus, Sea Michigan, still within the state of Michigan, is in two time zones.
Nothing’s simple, even when we try to make it so.
These are just some more ways that makes Sea Michigan one of kind!
As the song goes: “It’s 5 o’clock somewhere”
Swim Jim, Swim!
Posted March 2024
Jim “The Shark” Dreyer is the only person to swim the width of Lake Michigan between Wisconsin and Michigan, having swum 65 miles from Two Rivers, Wisconsin, to Ludington, Michigan, in 1998.
In 2003, Jim took another creative approach, swimming alone the length of Lake Michigan (422 miles in 18 consecutive stages).
In the 2023 swim, a 25thanniversary follow-up effort, he was attempting to beat his own record by swimming 25 miles further in the route from Milwaukee to Grand Haven. In August of 2023, winds swept him off course and the effort had to be abandoned just 10 miles after starting.
In a similar outcome a month later in September 2023, the swim was cut short after approximately 30 miles due to high waves. Still, quite an achievement for a 60 year old swimmer!
Amazingly, at the age of 32 and having lived in Grand Haven, Mr. Dreyer had started taking swimming lessons to help to overcome a lifelong fear of open water resulting from a childhood near-drowning incident. “The Shark” has persevered nevertheless, in swimming across all five of the Great Lakes!
Jim has indicated an intent to still do the longer swim across “Sea Michigan”, and we wish him the best.
To learn more about “The Shark”, check out his website at:
https://www.jimthesharkdreyer.com/
The Beginnings of Sea Michigan (aka: Lake Michigan)
Posted Jan 2024
The Beginnings of Sea Michigan (aka: Lake Michigan)
1.2 billion years ago, the great lakes’ formation began as two tectonic plates moving in opposite directions, leaving giant scars—an event now known as the “Mid-continent Rift”.
Less than 15 thousand years ago, glaciers that had formed began to melt as part of a global climatic warming. These waters filled the basins of these lakes, with Lake Michigan being the second largest “bowl to fill”.
Lake Michigan is the last of the 5 great lakes to be discovered by Europeans. The first Europeans to see Lake Michigan were mostly French traders and explorers in the 1600's, one of which was Samuel de Champlain who called it the Grand Lac. Yet, in his 1632 map of the region, it was not included.
Soon afterward, another name given to it by Jean Nicolet, the first known European explorer (1634), and later Joliet and Marquette, (following the upper peninsula shoreline to arrive on the shores of Green Bay)…The lake was called “Lac du Puants- “Lake of the Stinking Water”. The "stinking" name is likely derived from the abundant algae that grew in the bay area. This name was also noted in maps between 1648-1659 by additional French explorers/missionaries.
Another name ascribed to the waters was “Lac Dauphin” …the word has multiple meanings …an old French family name, or the title given to the eldest son of a French king, and also a (sea) dolphin. It was noted in 1670, by father Claude Allouez via second stories of the Potowatomi being attacked by Senecas near the shore of Machihiganing. Here the “ing” ending implying “at”..so a pretty close representation of the current name. Around the same era, another maps have been discovered calling it the Lac des Ilinois, Lac des Ilinois ou Missihiganin, and Missiganin.
The map using the current name of Michigan (at least phonetically), was first used in 1681 by Melchisidek Thevenot. Some additional variations included Bernou’s (1682) Mitchiganong ou Le Grand Lac des Illionois dit Dauphin, Franquelin’s (1688) Lac des Ilionois ou Michignany, Louvigny’s (1697) Lac du Michigane ou Ilinois. In 1718, DeLisle’s map showed L. Michigan in it’s present spelling.
Louis Hennepin, the priest as part of LaSalle’s 1682 expeditions, noted that the lake was called by the Miamis, Mischigonong (The great lake). In 1718, father Ignatius Le Boullenger noted the name as Metchigamigi, also as “great lake”. In the 1800’s, Ottawa Andrew J. Blackbird wrote that the lake was called Mi-chi-gum by his clan...”monstrous lake”.
The name “Lake Michigan” is most often said to be derived by early European traders’ conversion of the Anishinaabeg / Ojibwa (and other Algonquian) words for “large lake” or “great water”…mishi gami. . Note that “great water” was also the description and thus name, for all/each of the five great lakes, yet it “stuck” with this particular lake.
Indeed, the state of Michigan is named for Lake Michigan. Michigan became the name of the land area when the Michigan Territory was officially formed in 1805.
And what you’ve all been waiting for…in 2023, Mike Ricco declared the great lake to be Sea Michigan (actually he called it that as a child too). It has the double meaning of effectively being a sea given it’s great size and wave action, effect on the weather, and often producing an attractive environment on the shoreline from its water and wind impact. The sea name perhaps more appropriately honors the beautiful yet great power of this body of water. And, for you travelers, it has the double meaning of “See Michigan” in a phonetic sense. ;o)