Gertrude Ederle was the first woman to swim across the English Channel, covering a straight-line distance of 21 miles (34 km).



She trained with Jabez Wolffe, a male swimmer who had attempted the crossing 22 times but failed. During training, Wolffe tried to slow down Ederle's pace, believing she would tire herself out. Ederle was disqualified from her first attempt when Wolffe had her "rescued" from the water, though she claimed she was just resting.

On August 6, 1926, at 20 years old, she made her successful second attempt with coach Bill Burgess. She completed the swim in a record-breaking time of 14 hours and 34 minutes, two hours faster than the previous record held by Enrique Tiraboschi.


After her achievement, she received a parade in Manhattan, New York City, where over two million people gathered to celebrate.

Later in life, she appeared in movies, toured with a vaudeville circuit, and taught swimming to deaf children. Ederle lived until the age of 98, passing away in 2003.

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