{"id":1441,"canonical_url":"https://www.kudos365.com/today-in-history/events/1875ce-aug-25--1441","name":"1875 CE, August 25","year":1875,"era":"CE","month":8,"day":25,"url":"https://www.kudos365.com/today-in-history/events/1875ce-aug-25--1441","iso-date":"1875-08-25","precision":"year-month-day","description":"\u003cp\u003eMatthew Webb, a 27-year-old English Merchant Marine Captain' swimmer and stuntman, becomes on August 25, 1875, the first recorded person to swim the English Channel without the use of artificial aids.\u0026nbsp;\u003cbr\u003e\u003c/p\u003e","additional_details":"\u003cp\u003eWebb departed from Dover's Admiral Pier 21 hours and 45 minutes earlier on August 24, and arrived near Calais, France, the following morning; swimming roughly roughly 39 miles (64 km). Webb's achievement established the English Channel as a premier open-water swimming challenge while making him a celebrity. Webb used his newfound fame to become a professional swimmer, performing endurance stunts. He died in 1883, attempting to swim the dangerous rapids of the Niagara Gorge in North America. \u003c/p\u003e","photo":"https://k365fs.imgix.net/DJSCOPyJRimmFbVi1At5_Matthew%20Webb%20-%20The_Strand_Magazine_vol._3,_no._14,_pg._173_-_Age_27%20R.png?auto=format,compress\u0026fit=clip\u0026max-w=1600","photo_width":1018,"photo_height":730,"created_at":"2025-03-18T21:03:15-07:00","updated_at":"2026-05-06T10:44:59-07:00","breadcrumbs":{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"August History","item":"https://www.kudos365.com/today-in-history/august"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"August 25","item":"https://www.kudos365.com/today-in-history/august-25"}]},"schema":{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"Thing","@id":"https://www.kudos365.com/today-in-history/events/1875ce-aug-25--1441#eventK365","name":"1875 CE, August 25","headline":"Matthew Webb, a 27-year-old English Merchant Marine Captain\u0026#39; swimmer and stuntman, becomes on August 25,... - 1875 CE","description":"Matthew Webb, a 27-year-old English Merchant Marine Captain' swimmer and stuntman, becomes on August 25, 1875, the first recorded person to swim the English...","url":"https://www.kudos365.com/today-in-history/events/1875ce-aug-25--1441","additionalType":"HistoricalEvent","inLanguage":"en","datePublished":"2025-03-18T21:03:15-07:00","dateModified":"2026-05-06T10:44:59-07:00","publisher":{"@id":"https://www.kudos365.com/#organizationK365"},"image":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://k365fs.imgix.net/DJSCOPyJRimmFbVi1At5_Matthew%20Webb%20-%20The_Strand_Magazine_vol._3,_no._14,_pg._173_-_Age_27%20R.png?auto=format,compress\u0026fit=clip\u0026max-w=1600","width":1018,"height":730},"temporalCoverage":"1875-08-25","isPartOf":[{"@id":"https://www.kudos365.com/#websiteK365"},{"@type":"CollectionPage","@id":"https://www.kudos365.com/today-in-history/august","name":"What Happened in August History"},{"@type":"CollectionPage","@id":"https://www.kudos365.com/today-in-history/august-25#pageK365","name":"What Happened on August 25"}]}}