8. Gertrude Ederle
As a child, Gertrude Ederle suffered through a severe case of measles. The disease left her with a severe hearing disorder, which in later life rendered her totally deaf. Her father, a New York butcher, taught her to swim. She learned so well that she swam in the 1924 Olympic Games, sharing a Gold Medal in the 4 by 100 relay with her teammates, setting a new world record time in the process. She won Bronze Medals individually in the 400 and 100-meter freestyle events, as part of an American Olympic team which won 99 medals in the competition that year, earning a ticker-tape parade in New York and international acclaim. It also earned attention which led to sponsorship by American newspapers when she announced her attempt to become the first woman to swim across the English Channel.
Her first attempt, in 1925, failed. She tried a second time during the summer of 1926, swimming from France to Britain. She wore motorcycle goggles sealed with paraffin to protect her eyes from salt, immersed in the water for more than twelve hours. Her successful crossing was the fastest ever recorded at the time, 14 hours and 34 minutes, bettering the times of all five men who preceded her in the feat. Her record stood for 25 years. She became a vaudeville star, played herself on film, met with President Coolidge, and inspired women athletes across the globe. Later in life, she dedicated her time to teaching deaf children to swim. Ederle lived to the age of 98, dying in 2003. Her life is celebrated in an annual swim from New York’s Battery Park to Sandy Hook, New Jersey, following a route in which she once set a record time which stood for more than 80 years.