Water skiing - from The Smithsonian:
The Man Who Invented Water Skiing
One winter, while skiing down snowy hills with fellow neighborhood kids, Ralph Samuelson had an idea.
“If you could ski on snow,” he wondered, “why not on water?”
In the summer of 1922, Samuelson, then 18, began his attempts to stand up on skis on Lake Pepin, just a few blocks from his house in Lake City, Minnesota. After lots of trial and error, he eventually succeeded, and one of the world’s most beloved water sports was born.
This summer marks water skiing's 100th anniversary, and people living in Samuelson’s hometown want to make sure no one forgets his contribution to warm-weather fun.
On July 2, at 4:11 p.m.—the exact moment 100 years ago that Samuelson rose from the water on skis behind his brother’s boat—Lake City leaders will unveil a life-sized bronze statue of Samuelson.
World-wide. Interesting history - something that you never really think about.
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