Want to get attention? Make a big splash. Seven aquatic stars simultaneously dive in an intricate pattern during the opening of the new Los Angeles Swimming Stadium on April 7, 1932. Later in the year, the $200,000 stadium, with a seating capacity of 10,000, would be center stage to aquatic events in the Summer Olympics.
The 1932 Olympics helped put Los Angeles on the world’s sports map, despite the Great Depression. Before the Games opened, The Times wrote, “In view of the hard times in which the country is struggling, the scramble for reservations to the games has been almost phenomenal. Some of the events, such as swimming, rowing and fencing, are already sellouts for their entire duration.” The Times added that 150,000 people were expected to watch the Olympic events daily, good for an estimated $5 million gate. “The country may be in the midst of a depression, but there is no sign of it here.” Now called the John C. Argue Swimming Stadium, the facility was opened to the public after the 1932 Olympics ended. Over the years, the stadium has seen such swimmers-turned-actors as Clarence "Buster" Crabbe, Eleanor Holm and Esther Williams.
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