Wally Ris

Article summary

Walter Steven Ris (January 4, 1924 – December 25, 1989) was an American competition swimmer, two-time Olympic champion, and world record-holder. He was born one of three brothers in Chicago, Illinois to Russian immigrant parents on January 4, 1924. Ris was a star swimmer at Crane Technical High in Chicago. He attended the University of Iowa, where he was a member of the Iowa Beta chapter of Sigma Alpha Epsilon and swam for the Iowa Hawkeyes swimming and diving team in National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) and Big Ten Conference competition from 1947 to 1949. At Iowa, where he graduated in 1949, he was mentored and trained by Hall of Fame Coach David Armbruster, and was the NCAA national champion in the 100-yard freestyle in 1948 and 1949.

Key claims

1. date of birth: 1924-01-04 — source: Wikipedia · confidence 0.95
2. date of death: 1989-12-25 — source: Wikipedia · confidence 0.95
3. members: 200 metres — source: Wikipedia · confidence 0.95

Discussion questions

1. Summarise the article in your own words. Which single claim would you verify first, and why?
2. The record states that the date of birth is "1924-01-04". What evidence would count against this claim?
3. The record states that the date of death is "1989-12-25". What evidence would count against this claim?
4. The record states that the members is "200 metres". What evidence would count against this claim?
5. Which claim in this article is most likely to be revised as the sources update? How would you check its current status?
6. If two sources disagreed about one of these facts, what would you need in order to trust one over the other?

Bibliography

1. Wikipedia https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?oldid=1364279894