Serving as captain of a steamship, Matthew Webb quit his post and sought to rectify J.B. Johnson’s failure to successfully swim the English Channel.
Inspired, he began an arduous training regime at Lambeth Baths before practicing in the Thames, English Channel and Hollingworth Lake.
Webb had attempted to complete his first cross-channel two weeks prior but strong winds and sea conditions deemed too harsh for the Englishman, who abandoned his swim. With conditions relatively stable, smeared in porpoise oil and three precautionary escort boats, he began his second attempt from Dover’s Admiratly Pier on a steady breaststroke.
Strong currents and jellyfish stings hindered his performance for five hours but after 21 hours and 45 minutes, he managed to land near Calais, thus completing the first-ever successful 64km cross-channel swim.
Basking in international adulation, Matthew Webb embarked on a professional swimming career, often participating in exhibition swimming matches and stunts such floating in a tank of water for 128 hours.
Other momentous events on this day:
1999: Sunderland enjoyed a famous 2-1 win at arch-rivals Newcastle. United boss Ruud Gullit left striker Alan Shearer on the bench as his side went down to goals from Niall Quinn and Kevin Phillips.
2004: Arsenal set a new English top-flight record of 43 matches unbeaten with a 3-0 win over Blackburn at Highbury.
2014: Liverpool sealed one of the shock signings of the summer after confirming Mario Balotelli’s arrival from AC Milan in a reported £16 million deal.
