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08/06/2005: English Channel Swimming....
...And NO That's not Like TeeVee or Internet "Surfing"... "It isn't often that a young person does something alone that captures the attention of the whole world.
On this day in 1926, 19-year old New Yorker Gertrude Ederle became the first woman to swim the English Channel.
She chose a day so rough that steamship trips were canceled.
She not only completed the swim, but her time of 14 hours and 31 minutes broke a record that had stood for more than 50 years. A powerful swimmer, Ederle had won three Olympic medals and set 29 records before her channel adventure.
Her crossing turned her into an international celebrity and sparked a jump in the popularity of swimming. Today, some 55-million people in the U.S. enjoy swimming, ranking it only behind exercise walking and camping as Americans' most popular recreational activity."
Courtesy of US News Wire.
Karen on 08.06.05 @ 07:03 AM CST
