What did Matthew Webb become the first person to swim across, in 1875?
Matthew Webb Matthew Webb Captain Matthew Webb (19 January 1848 – 24 July 1883) was the first recorded person to swim the English Channel for sport without the use of artificial aids. On 25 August 1875, Webb swam from Dover to Calais in less than 22 hours. Webb was born at Dawley, Telford, in Shropshire, one of twelve children of a Coalbrookdale doctor. He acquired his ability to swim in the River Severn at Coalbrookdale. In 1860, at the age of twelve, he joined the training ship HMS Conway for two years, then entered the merchant navy and served a three-year apprenticeship
Matthew Webb Channel was nearly 40 miles (66 km) long. After his record swim, Captain Webb basked in national and international adulation, and followed a career as a professional swimmer. He wrote a book called "The Art of Swimming" and licensed his name for merchandising such as commemorative pottery. A brand of matches was named after him. He participated in exhibition swimming matches and stunts such as floating in a tank of water for 128 hours. On 27 April 1880, he married Madeline Kate Chaddock, and they had two children, Matthew and Helen. His final stunt was to be a dangerous swim