Matthew Webb became the first person to swim across the English Channel, doing so in approximately 21 hours 40 minutes.

Matthew Webb

British swimmer (1848–1883)

Captain Matthew Webb 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.

List of successful English Channel swimmers

This is a list of notable successful swims across the English Channel, a straight-line distance of at least 18.2 nautical miles.