Matthew Webb

Matthew Webb was an English long-distance swimmer who became the first person to swim across the English Channel, in August 1875.

English Channel: The arm of the Atlantic Ocean separating southern England from northern France. Webb’s 1875 swim crossed this stretch of water from Dover to Calais.
Open-water swimming: Swimming in natural bodies of water rather than pools. Webb’s Channel crossing was an early landmark in long-distance open-water swimming.
Dawley: A town in Shropshire, England, where Matthew Webb was born in 1848. Dawley was Webb’s birthplace before his career at sea and in swimming.
Swimming: The movement of a person through water using coordinated bodily actions. Webb’s achievement expanded the public image of what swimming could involve.
Dover: A port town in Kent, England, facing the Strait of Dover. Webb began his crossing from Dover on the English coast.
Cold-water swimming: Swimming in water cold enough to cause substantial heat loss from the body. The Channel’s low temperature made prolonged exposure a central challenge for Webb.
Royal Navy: The United Kingdom’s naval warfare and maritime service. Webb served in the Royal Navy before becoming known for endurance swimming.
Sports record: A documented best performance or achievement in a sport. Webb’s first crossing became a defining record in the history of Channel swimming.
Calais: A port city in northern France on the Strait of Dover. Webb landed near Calais after swimming across the Channel.
Hypothermia: A dangerous fall in core body temperature caused when heat loss exceeds heat production. Cold exposure threatened any swimmer attempting Webb’s hours-long crossing.

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BreaststrokeRelated: Webb completed the crossing using breaststroke.