Question

2. What was Gertrude Ederle known for accomplishing in 1926?

Answer 1

• In 1925 Ederle made an unsuccessful attempt to swim the English Channel, but the following year she returned to France to try again.

• In the face of widespread doubt that a woman could accomplish the feat, she set out from Cape Gris-Nez near Calais, France, on August 6 and swam the 35 miles (56 km) to Dover, Kent, England, in 14 hours 31 minutes, beating the men’s world record by 1 hour 59 minutes.

• Ederle was greeted on her return to New York City by a ticker-tape parade, and she toured for a time as a professional swimmer. A series of misfortunes, culminating in a serious back injury in 1933, ended her public career for a time, but in 1939 she appeared in Billy Rose’s Aquacade at the New York World’s Fair.