#5: Plunge for Distance — St. Louis 1904
This may be the only Olympic swimming event where swimming was effectively forbidden. Competitors dived into the water, then remained completely motionless while momentum carried them forward. Whoever traveled farthest before surfacing—or before the time limit expired—won. Only five athletes competed, all representing the United States. Billy Dickey took gold after drifting 62 feet 6 inches. The event appeared only once at the Olympics, perhaps because spectators eventually realized they were watching grown men attempt to become human pool floats.
