Gertrude Ederle became the first woman to cross the English Channel in 1926, beating the men’s record by two hours. She also held world records in five different events and won one gold and two bronze medals in the 1924 Olympics. Dubbed as “Queen of the Waves” and “America’s Best Girl”, Ederle paved the way for generations of female athletes by challenging societal narratives of women as the weaker sex.
An ear infection from the swim worsened her childhood hearing problems and she became deaf. This inspired her to become a swim instructor for deaf children at the Lexington School for the Deaf.
