Gertrude Ederle, athlete
Oct. 23, 1906-Nov. 30, 2003
America's Champion Swimmer: Gertrude Ederle by David A. Adler, illustrated by Terry Widener (Harcourt, 2000, Voyager, 2005 reprint)
It's twenty-one miles across the English Channel and in 1926, an American named Gertrude Ederle was the first woman to successfully swim across it. In the process she beat the men's record by almost two hours.
Sports Illustrated for Women named Ederle one of the Top 100 Women Athletes.
