English Channel latter part of the 19th century when Captain Matthew Webb made the first observed and unassisted swim across the Strait of Dover, swimming from England to France on 24–25 August 1875 in 21 hours 45 minutes. In 1927, at a time when fewer than ten swimmers (including the first woman, Gertrude Ederle in 1926) had managed to emulate the feat and many dubious claims were being made, the Channel Swimming Association (CSA) was founded to authenticate and ratify swimmers' claims to have swum the Channel and to verify crossing times. The CSA was dissolved in 1999 and was succeeded by
Tunnelling the English Channel Tunnelling the English Channel Tunneling the English Channel () is a 1907 silent film by pioneer filmmaker Georges Méliès. The plot follows King Edward VII and President Armand Fallières dreaming of building a tunnel under the English Channel. The idea of building a tunnel under the Channel was much discussed in 1907; Méliès's film is a highly topical take on the popular subject. Méliès appears in the film as the engineer who presents the blueprints for the tunnel. Fernande Albany, an actress who also appeared in Méliès's "The Impossible Voyage", "An Adventurous Automobile Trip", and "The Conquest of the Pole",