What Was So Historic About Gertrude Ederle’s English Channel Swim?

Nearly a century before American swimmers like Michael Phelps, Katie Ledecky, and Caleb Dressel lit up our TV screens with their gold medal-worthy achievements, the United States had another swimming star – Gertrude Ederle, who became the first woman to swim the English Channel on August 6, 1926.

Nicknamed the "Queen of the Waves," Ederle's talent was recognized by the Women's Swimming Association (WSA), where she trained as a girl. She had already appeared in the 1924 Summer Olympics in Paris, where she won a gold medal in the 4x 100m freestyle relay and bronze in the women's 100m freestyle and 400m freestyle. She was disappointed that she hadn't won gold in all three events.

Ederle was only 19 when she accomplished her historic English Channel swim on her second try. Even more remarkably, her time of 14 hours and 34 minutes was faster than the times clocked by the five male swimmers who had already made the crossing – by almost two hours. Her record would stand until 1950. Ederle wore a homemade two-piece bathing suit and motorcycle goggles sealed with paraffin. She coated herself with grease, braved jellyfish stings, face-battering sea conditions, and salt water that made her tongue swell up.

For a brief time, Ederle was a huge celebrity. She was feted with a ticker-tape parade in Manhattan – the first woman accorded such an honor. Two million people came out to attend. She appeared in the film Swim Girl, Swim, met President Calvin Coolidge (who called her "America's Best Girl"), had a song and dance named after her, and later toured the vaudeville circuit.

The amazing story of the Queen of the Waves: