1 00:00:00,120 --> 00:00:01,920 Speaker 1: This Day in History Class is a production of I 2 00:00:02,040 --> 00:00:12,680 Speaker 1: Heart Radio. Hello and welcome to This Day in History Class, 3 00:00:13,000 --> 00:00:15,880 Speaker 1: a show that uncovers a little bit more about history 4 00:00:16,320 --> 00:00:21,040 Speaker 1: every day. I'm Gabelusier, and today we're talking about a 5 00:00:21,120 --> 00:00:25,720 Speaker 1: trailblazing athlete who ignored the doubters and swam her way 6 00:00:25,880 --> 00:00:39,080 Speaker 1: into the record books. The day was September eleven. California 7 00:00:39,200 --> 00:00:44,239 Speaker 1: native Florence Chadwick prevailed against dense fog, heavy winds, and 8 00:00:44,360 --> 00:00:48,200 Speaker 1: frigid water to become the first woman to swim across 9 00:00:48,280 --> 00:00:52,920 Speaker 1: the English Channel in both directions. She had entered the 10 00:00:52,920 --> 00:00:57,040 Speaker 1: water early that morning in Dover, England, and finally stepped 11 00:00:57,080 --> 00:01:01,320 Speaker 1: onto the shore of Sangat, France six hours and twenty 12 00:01:01,320 --> 00:01:05,800 Speaker 1: two minutes later. It was the fastest time anyone male 13 00:01:06,080 --> 00:01:11,039 Speaker 1: or female had ever completed the swim. Chadwick was born 14 00:01:11,080 --> 00:01:15,240 Speaker 1: in San Diego in nine eighteen. Growing up in a 15 00:01:15,280 --> 00:01:17,679 Speaker 1: coastal city, she spent a lot of time at the 16 00:01:17,720 --> 00:01:22,080 Speaker 1: beach and quickly developed a passion for ocean swimming. At 17 00:01:22,120 --> 00:01:26,520 Speaker 1: age six, she began competing in swimming competitions, and at eleven, 18 00:01:26,800 --> 00:01:30,160 Speaker 1: she won first place in a six mile rough water 19 00:01:30,400 --> 00:01:34,959 Speaker 1: race across the San Diego Bay Channel. Two years later, 20 00:01:35,280 --> 00:01:39,080 Speaker 1: she won second place at the U S National Championships. 21 00:01:39,959 --> 00:01:44,000 Speaker 1: After graduating from high school in nineteen thirty six, Chadwick 22 00:01:44,040 --> 00:01:47,119 Speaker 1: went on to study law and continued as a competitive 23 00:01:47,160 --> 00:01:50,480 Speaker 1: swimmer in her free time. During World War Two, she 24 00:01:50,600 --> 00:01:54,320 Speaker 1: produced and directed aquatic shows for the US military, and 25 00:01:54,360 --> 00:01:57,960 Speaker 1: in nineteen forty four, she swam on film with water 26 00:01:58,040 --> 00:02:03,360 Speaker 1: ballet star Esther Williams in the MGM musical Bathing Beauty. 27 00:02:03,600 --> 00:02:07,560 Speaker 1: Chadwick enjoyed performing, but she knew her true talent was 28 00:02:07,680 --> 00:02:12,960 Speaker 1: endurance swimming, particularly in open water where conditions were most difficult. 29 00:02:13,560 --> 00:02:16,280 Speaker 1: Her interest in the sport can be credited in part 30 00:02:16,360 --> 00:02:21,280 Speaker 1: to her childhood hero, a swimmer named Gertrude Etterly. In 31 00:02:22,840 --> 00:02:26,200 Speaker 1: Etterly became the first woman to swim the English Channel, 32 00:02:26,639 --> 00:02:30,919 Speaker 1: beating the men's record by two hours and soundly disproving 33 00:02:31,000 --> 00:02:34,280 Speaker 1: naysayers who had claimed that women couldn't handle such a 34 00:02:34,320 --> 00:02:38,920 Speaker 1: long distance swim. With the shortest route measuring about twenty 35 00:02:38,919 --> 00:02:42,520 Speaker 1: one miles, crossing the English Channel was considered one of 36 00:02:42,560 --> 00:02:46,280 Speaker 1: the greatest challenges by swimmers of her time. In fact, 37 00:02:46,560 --> 00:02:49,760 Speaker 1: even today, more people have climbed to the summit of 38 00:02:49,840 --> 00:02:53,720 Speaker 1: Mount Everest than have completed the swim across the English Channel. 39 00:02:54,720 --> 00:02:58,200 Speaker 1: Chadwick was inspired by Etterly to be the first woman 40 00:02:58,240 --> 00:03:02,400 Speaker 1: to make that trip in both directions, not just from 41 00:03:02,440 --> 00:03:06,359 Speaker 1: France to England, as Etterly had done, but from England 42 00:03:06,400 --> 00:03:10,600 Speaker 1: to France as well. If you're wondering what's the difference, 43 00:03:11,200 --> 00:03:15,160 Speaker 1: most experts consider the England to France crossing to be 44 00:03:15,240 --> 00:03:19,280 Speaker 1: the more difficult. That's partly because of the stronger current 45 00:03:19,360 --> 00:03:23,120 Speaker 1: pushing away from the English shore, but also because swimmers 46 00:03:23,160 --> 00:03:26,799 Speaker 1: have to cross busy shipping lanes when heading towards France, 47 00:03:26,960 --> 00:03:30,440 Speaker 1: which means they might have to dodge commercial vessels along 48 00:03:30,480 --> 00:03:34,760 Speaker 1: the way. No woman had ever completed that route before, 49 00:03:35,480 --> 00:03:39,400 Speaker 1: and Chadwick aimed to be the first. After World War Two, 50 00:03:39,720 --> 00:03:42,520 Speaker 1: she took a job with an American oil company in 51 00:03:42,520 --> 00:03:46,720 Speaker 1: Saudi Arabia and began training by swimming in the Persian Gulf, 52 00:03:47,080 --> 00:03:50,720 Speaker 1: sometimes for as long as ten hours a day. After 53 00:03:50,760 --> 00:03:53,320 Speaker 1: two years, she felt she was ready to make the 54 00:03:53,400 --> 00:03:57,000 Speaker 1: first leg of her journey, the swim from France to England, 55 00:03:57,200 --> 00:04:01,320 Speaker 1: which Etterly had made in ninety six. So on a 56 00:04:01,400 --> 00:04:05,520 Speaker 1: cold August morning in nineteen fifty, Chadwick began her twenty 57 00:04:05,520 --> 00:04:10,040 Speaker 1: one mile swim to England. She wasn't alone, though, her father, 58 00:04:10,280 --> 00:04:14,400 Speaker 1: some friends and swim authorities followed alongside in a fishing boat. 59 00:04:15,000 --> 00:04:18,080 Speaker 1: They guided her around hazards on the route and used 60 00:04:18,120 --> 00:04:21,200 Speaker 1: a long pole to pass her sugar cubes when she 61 00:04:21,279 --> 00:04:24,440 Speaker 1: needed a quick boost of energy. The trip took her 62 00:04:24,480 --> 00:04:28,400 Speaker 1: thirteen hours and twenty minutes, a world record and over 63 00:04:28,440 --> 00:04:33,440 Speaker 1: an hour faster than Gertrude Etterly. Chadwick's original plan was 64 00:04:33,520 --> 00:04:36,680 Speaker 1: to swim back across the Channel to France on that 65 00:04:36,960 --> 00:04:40,880 Speaker 1: same day, but in the end she decided to delay 66 00:04:40,920 --> 00:04:43,640 Speaker 1: the trip for over a year in order to train 67 00:04:43,720 --> 00:04:47,520 Speaker 1: more and to wait for fairer weather. When she finally 68 00:04:47,640 --> 00:04:51,400 Speaker 1: did make her landmark crossing in September nineteen fifty one, 69 00:04:52,040 --> 00:04:55,880 Speaker 1: she became a celebrity. Overnight. The city of San Diego 70 00:04:56,040 --> 00:04:58,719 Speaker 1: gave her a car and threw a parade and her honor. 71 00:04:59,120 --> 00:05:02,799 Speaker 1: She got endorsed and deals from swimwear companies. She even 72 00:05:02,880 --> 00:05:07,360 Speaker 1: made TV appearances on shows like What's My Line. But again, 73 00:05:07,760 --> 00:05:11,640 Speaker 1: Chadwick was a competitor at heart. She quickly found herself 74 00:05:11,680 --> 00:05:14,840 Speaker 1: back in the water on July four, nine fifty two, 75 00:05:15,160 --> 00:05:18,839 Speaker 1: when she attempted to swim across the Catalina Channel between 76 00:05:18,880 --> 00:05:23,240 Speaker 1: the coast of southern California and Catalina Island. She swam 77 00:05:23,360 --> 00:05:26,560 Speaker 1: for almost sixteen hours that day, but in the end 78 00:05:26,720 --> 00:05:30,880 Speaker 1: she called it quits just half a mile from the shore. However, 79 00:05:31,360 --> 00:05:34,720 Speaker 1: Chadwick didn't let that failure get her down. Just two 80 00:05:34,760 --> 00:05:38,320 Speaker 1: months later she tried the swim again, and that time 81 00:05:38,560 --> 00:05:42,200 Speaker 1: she made the trip to Catalina in thirteen hours forty 82 00:05:42,200 --> 00:05:46,520 Speaker 1: seven minutes, two hours faster than the previous record, which 83 00:05:46,560 --> 00:05:50,479 Speaker 1: was set by a man. Although Chadwick is largely remembered 84 00:05:50,520 --> 00:05:55,080 Speaker 1: for her pioneering swims, her determination and perseverance are just 85 00:05:55,200 --> 00:05:59,040 Speaker 1: as noteworthy. She continued to break records in her sport 86 00:05:59,120 --> 00:06:03,280 Speaker 1: throughout the nineteen fifties, and even when her failures outnumbered 87 00:06:03,279 --> 00:06:06,200 Speaker 1: her successes, she never lost the will to get back 88 00:06:06,200 --> 00:06:10,080 Speaker 1: in the water and keep on swimming. After retiring from 89 00:06:10,120 --> 00:06:14,159 Speaker 1: the sport in nineteen sixty, Chadwick opened swimming schools in 90 00:06:14,240 --> 00:06:16,960 Speaker 1: New York and New Jersey, where she coached a new 91 00:06:17,000 --> 00:06:21,560 Speaker 1: generation of athletes. Ten years later, she was inducted into 92 00:06:21,600 --> 00:06:27,040 Speaker 1: the International Swimming Hall of Fame in She passed away 93 00:06:27,080 --> 00:06:31,120 Speaker 1: in her hometown at the age of seventy six. In 94 00:06:31,160 --> 00:06:34,640 Speaker 1: a fitting end to her life, her ashes were scattered 95 00:06:34,960 --> 00:06:39,800 Speaker 1: in the Pacific Ocean. I'm Gabe Louisier and hopefully you 96 00:06:39,880 --> 00:06:42,719 Speaker 1: now know a little more about history today than you 97 00:06:42,760 --> 00:06:46,479 Speaker 1: did yesterday. If you have any comments or suggestions for 98 00:06:46,560 --> 00:06:49,599 Speaker 1: future episodes, you can send them my way at this 99 00:06:49,720 --> 00:06:54,320 Speaker 1: day at i heeart media dot com. Thanks as always 100 00:06:54,360 --> 00:06:57,400 Speaker 1: to Chandler Mays for producing the show, and thank you 101 00:06:57,440 --> 00:07:00,679 Speaker 1: for listening. I'll see you back here again tomorrow for 102 00:07:00,720 --> 00:07:10,120 Speaker 1: another day in History class. For more podcasts from my 103 00:07:10,160 --> 00:07:12,840 Speaker 1: Heart Radio, visit the I Heart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, 104 00:07:12,880 --> 00:07:14,600 Speaker 1: or wherever you listen to your favorite shows.