On 6 August 1926, Gertrude Ederle, at just 20 years of age, became the first woman to swim the English Channel.
At the same time, she also set a new record time of 14 hours and 39 minutes for swimming the Channel – her record stood for 24 years.
Gertrude was an amazing woman who, despite suffering from deafness from an early age, achieved some wonderful things in life, including the winning of a gold medal at the 1924 Olympics in Paris.
To celebrate her historic feat, here is a newspaper report that was published the day after Gertrude became the first woman to swim the Channel.
Aberdeen Journal – Saturday 07 August 1926
Image © D.C.Thomson & Co. Ltd. Image created courtesy of THE BRITISH LIBRARY BOARD.
http://www.britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk/viewer/bl/0000577/19260807/070/0007
