Captain Matthew Webb (19 January 1848 – 24 July 1883) was an English seaman, swimmer and stuntman who became the first person to swim the English Channel without the use of artificial aids. Webb increased the popularity of swimming in England.

Captain Matthew Webb At the age of 12, Matthew Webb enrolled as a sea cadet on the naval training ship, the HMS Conway in Liverpool, England. He became an experienced sailor and throughout his years at sea, he became a very good swimmer.

Aug 24, 2015 · If you show up at the pool or pond to find the lanes crowded and the shallows swamped, you have only one man to blame—Captain Matthew Webb. The 19th-century swimming sensation loved water...

Aug 9, 2020 · Captain Matthew Webb was the first person to swim across the English Channel unaided. Using our library and archive collections we research the life of this extraordinary man.

On 24 August 1875, Captain Matthew Webb of Great Britain became the first man to successfully swim the English Channel unaided. This daring feat ensured Captain Webb’s place in the history books and has led to thousands of other intrepid individuals following in his wake.

Feb 9, 2010 · Matthew Webb, a 27-year-old merchant navy captain, becomes the first known person to successfully swim the English Channel. Captain Webb accomplished the grueling 21-mile crossing, which...

Nov 22, 2021 · Captain Matthew Webb Webb trained for his epic unaided attempt in the River Thames. He swam the 20 miles from Blackwall Pier to Gravesend Town Pier in 4 hours 20 minutes, a record which stood...

Sep 30, 2019 · The first man to successfully swim the English Channel, Captain Matthew Webb was born in Shropshire and learned how to swim in open water in the River Severn in Coalbrookdale. He left his home town at the age of 12 to train on the HMS Conway and joined the merchant navy as an apprentice.

Captain Matthew Webb (19 January 1848 – 24 July 1884) was the first person to successfully swim across the English Channel from England to France without the use of artificial aids.

On 24 th July 1883 Captain Webb was rowed out by a small ferryboat below Niagara Falls in order to swim across the rapids for ‘fortune and imperishable fame’. He dived overboard and at first all went well but he was caught by a huge wave, …