Matthew Webb
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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 i
Webb in The Illustrated London News, 1883
HMS Conway training ship at Rock Ferry
Portrait of Paul Boyton in his survival suit, on the front of a cigarette packet
Admiralty Pier, Dover, pictured between 1890 and 1900
Niagara Falls
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Niagara Falls is a group of three waterfalls at the southern end of Niagara Gorge, spanning the border between the Canadian province of Ontario and the U.S. state of New York. The largest of the three
Matthew Webb
…for two months. Webb died later that year after being paralysed by the water pressure while attempting to swim down the rapids at Niagara Gorge, below Niagara Falls. Webb was born on 19 January 1848 in Dawley, Shropshire. He was one of 13 children of the surgeon Dr Matthew Webb. In 1849, when Webb was 14 months…
Canadian Horseshoe Falls at right
Damage from wind and ice on Goat Island, 1903
American and Bridal Falls diverted during erosion control efforts in 1969