First Swim Across English Channel

Date: August 25, 1875 • Location: London, United Kingdom

Matthew Webb became the first person to swim across the English Channel, doing so in approximately 21 hours 40 minutes.

Captain Matthew Webb was an English seaman, swimmer and stuntman who became the first person to swim the English Channel without the use of artificial aids. Webb increased the popularity of swimming in England at a time when few people knew how to swim.