Who Was the First Woman to Swim the English Channel?

On this day in 1926, 19-year-old Gertrude Ederle became the first woman to swim across the English Channel. Among other nicknames, the press sometimes called her "Queen of the Waves." In 1926, on her second attempt, Gertrude Ederle became the first woman to swim the 21 miles from Dover, England to Cape Griz-Nez across the English Channel, which separates Great Britain from the northwestern tip of France. She persevered through storms and heavy swells, but after 14 hours and 31 minutes in the water, she reached the English coast, becoming the sixth person and first woman to swim the Channel.