U know how the 2008 olympics has the touch sensory system in pools, how did people record the winners before?

Question

i have no idea how the people ages ago in the other olympics recorded who came first. was it by using stopwatches? and how did they put it on the scoreboard? and what was the actual FIRST recording device in the FIRST olympics for swimming?

Answer 1

First recording device = a pair of eyes and timing of a finger pressing a stop watch.  

Answer 2

they jus had heaps of people with stop watches.