Origins & Early Life

Captain Matthew Webb (19 January 1848 – 24 July 1883) 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 in England at a time when few people knew how to swim. Born in Dawley, Shropshire, Webb developed his swimming skills as a child while playing in the River Severn. At twelve, he began his career in the Merchant Navy after training at HMS Conway.

Pivotal Works & Achievements

After graduating, he began a three-year apprenticeship with the Rathbone Brothers of Liverpool, during which he sailed internationally across various trade routes to countries including China, India, Hong Kong, Singapore and Yemen. After completing his second mate training in 1865, Webb worked for ten years aboard different ships and for several companies. He was recognised for two acts of bravery: in the Suez Canal he freed the ship's propeller from an entangling rope by diving underwater and cutting it, and in the Atlantic Ocean he jumped in to attempt to save a man who had fallen overboard while the ship was travelling at 14.5 kn (26.9 km/h; 16.7 mph). This latter act earned him the first Stanhope medal. In 1875...

Enduring Legacy & Impact

The historical impact and works continue to influence the modern world.

Contemporary Figures & Related Historical Timelines

• Augustus Saint-Gaudens — Contemporary (Born in 1848) (1848): Pioneering American sculptor embodying the ideals of the American Renaissance.
• Bernard Bolzano — Contemporary (Died in 1848) (1848): Bohemian polymath whose work spanned mathematics, logic, and philosophy.
• Bernard Bosanquet (philosopher) — Contemporary (Born in 1848) (1848): English philosopher and political theorist, influential in late 19th/early 20th-century social policy.
• Alan Brooke, 1st Viscount Alanbrooke — Contemporary (Born in 1883) (1883): British Field Marshal and Chief of the Imperial General Staff during WWII.
• Alexander Gettler — Contemporary (Born in 1883) (1883): Pioneering American forensic toxicologist and father of modern medicolegal investigation.
• Alexander Yegorov (general) — Contemporary (Born in 1883) (1883): Soviet military leader and one of the original Marshals of the Soviet Union.
• Abbas the Great — Shared historical date (01-19 · Died) (1629): Fifth Safavid Shah of Iran, considered one of the greatest rulers in Iranian history.
• Alexander Mack — Shared historical date (01-19 · Died) (1735): German clergyman and founder of the Schwarzenau Brethren movement.
• Albert Ellis — Shared historical date (07-24 · Died) (2007): Pioneering figure in psychotherapy, founder of Rational Emotive Behavior Therapy (REBT)
• Alexandre Dumas — Shared historical date (07-24 · Born) (1802): Master of French adventure literature, famed for The Three Musketeers.
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