U.S. Census Bureau Daily Feature for Aug. 6: Swimming the EnglishChannel

WASHINGTON, Aug. 5 -- Following is the daily “Profile America” feature for Aug. 6 from the U.S. Census Bureau:

SATURDAY, AUG. 6: SWIMMING THE ENGLISH CHANNEL

Profile America Saturday, Aug. 6. It isn’t often that a young person does something alone that captures the attention of the whole world. On this day in 1926, 19-year old New Yorker Gertrude Ederle became the first woman to swim the English Channel. She chose a day so rough that steamship trips were canceled. She not only completed the swim, but her time of 14 hours and 31 minutes broke a record that had stood for more than 50 years. A powerful swimmer, Ederle had won three Olympic medals and set 29 records before her channel adventure. Her crossing turned her into an international celebrity and sparked a jump in the popularity of swimming. Today, some 55-million people in the U.S. enjoy swimming, ranking it only behind exercise walking and camping as Americans’ most popular recreational activity. One can find these and more facts about America from the U.S. Census Bureau on the Web at http://www.census.gov.

Sources: Chase’s Calendar of Events 2005, p. 413 Statistical Abstract of the United States 2004-2005, t. 1241 http://www.census.gov/prod/www/statistical-abstract-04.html

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Profile America is produced by the Public Information Office of the U.S. Census Bureau. These daily features are available as produced segments ready to air on a monthly CD or on Internet at http://www.census.gov (look under the “Newsroom” button). For further information, contact Rick Reed at 301-763-2812, fax at 301-457-3670, or e-mail at rreed@census.gov.

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