How old is Gertrude Ederle?
How old is Gertrude Ederle?
98 years (1905–2003)
Gertrude Ederle/Age at death
Gertrude Ederle, the First Woman to Swim Across the English Channel, Dies at 98. Gertrude Ederle, who was called ”America’s best girl” by President Calvin Coolidge in 1926 after she became the first woman to swim across the English Channel, died yesterday at a nursing home in Wyckoff, N.J. She was 98.
Was Gertrude Ederle deaf?
Ederle, whose hearing was permanently impaired while achieving her English Channel triumph, later became a swimming instructor for deaf children. She was inducted into the International Swimming Hall of Fame in 1965 and the Women’s Sports Hall of Fame in 1980.
Where is Gertrude Ederle from?
Manhattan, New York, United States
Gertrude Ederle/Place of birth
How old was Gertrude Ederle when she swam the English Channel?
age 15
Gertrude Ederle (1905-2003), at age 15, became the first woman to swim the length of New York Bay and, in 1924, won three medals at the Paris Olympics.
Why is Gertrude Ederle a hero?
American swimmer Gertrude Ederle achieved fame when she competed in the 1924 Olympics and became the first woman to swim across the English Channel in 1926.
Is Gertrude Ederle still alive?
Deceased (1905–2003)
Gertrude Ederle/Living or Deceased
Why did Gertrude Ederle lose her hearing?
Ederle had a hearing problem since childhood and damaged her hearing during the English Channel swim which caused her eventual deafness. She taught swimming to children at the Lexington School for the Deaf. She never married and lived in New York City with several female friends.
What happened to Gertrude Ederle in Germany?
Ederle had poor hearing since childhood due to measles, and by the 1940s she was almost completely deaf. Aside from her time in Vaudeville, she taught swimming to deaf children. She never married and she was living in an old peoples home in 2001. She died on November 30, 2003, in Wyckoff, New Jersey, at the age of 98.
How did Gertrude Ederle impact society?
In 1926, 19-year-old New Yorker Gertrude Ederle made history by becoming the first woman to swim the English Channel – and in a faster time than the five men who had already achieved the feat.
When did Gertrude Ederle cross the English Channel?
The English Channel is the sea between England and continental Europe. It is twenty-one miles long and very rough. By 1925, five men had swum across the Channel. Although several women had tried, none succeeded. Gertrude’s first English Channel attempt was on August 18, 1925, but she failed to make it.
How did Gertrude Ederle survive the measles?
Gertrude was one of six children. When she was very young, she had the measles. Although she survived, the illness gave her severe hearing loss. In the summer, Gertrude’s parents took the children to the beach in New Jersey. Their father taught them to swim in the Atlantic Ocean.
When did Gertrude Ederle become a professional swimmer?
In 1925, Gertrude became a professional swimmer. Her older sister, who was also a swimmer, convinced her to try swimming record-breaking distances instead of shorter races. Gertrude’s first major effort was a twenty-two-mile swim from Manhattan’s Battery Park to New Jersey’s Sandy Hook.
How many world records did Gertrude Ederle set?
Between the ages of 15 and 19, Gertrude set twenty-nine national and world records. Nine of them were set on one day during a competition in New York. Gertrude was so successful that she made the U.S. Olympic team in 1924.