Who was the first woman to swim across the English Channel?

Gertrude Ederle (1905-2003), an American swimmer, became the first woman to swim across the English Channel, on 6 August 1926. She swam from Cap Gris-Nez in France to Kingsdown in England in 14 hours and 39 minutes.

Why her swim was remarkable:

Her time was nearly two hours faster than the previous record set by any man. Her record stood for 24 years until it was broken by Florence Chadwick in 1950.

Because of rough seas and strong currents, she actually swam about 56 km (35 miles), much more than the straight-line distance of about 33 km.

At the time, many people believed that women were not strong enough to swim the Channel, and her success was seen as a great victory for women in sport.

She received a ticker-tape parade in New York City, attended by about two million people.

Other facts about Gertrude Ederle:

• She had already won an Olympic gold medal (in the 4 x 100 m freestyle relay) and two bronze medals at the 1924 Paris Olympics.
• She lost most of her hearing later in life, partly due to the measles she had as a child and possibly worsened by her long swims, and she later taught swimming to deaf children.

Other English Channel "firsts":

• Captain Matthew Webb (UK) was the first person to swim the English Channel without the help of artificial aids, on 24-25 August 1875, in about 21 hours and 45 minutes.
• Mihir Sen was the first Indian and the first Asian man (1958).
• Arati Saha was the first Asian woman (1959).
• Florence Chadwick was the first woman to swim the Channel in both directions (England to France in 1951, after France to England in 1950).
• Mercedes Gleitze was the first British woman to swim the Channel (1927).

Why not the other options?

• ✗Arati Saha was the first Asian woman (1959).
• ✗Florence Chadwick broke Ederle's record in 1950.
• ✗Mercedes Gleitze was the first British woman (1927).