How did Gertrude Ederle become deaf? 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.

Gertrude Ederle showed the world what grit and tenacity can do: make swimming history. On August 6, 1926, 19-year-old Trudy became not only the first woman to complete the English Channel but also set the fastest recorded time completing the crossing.

Gertrude Ederle (born October 23, 1905, New York, New York, U.S.—died November 30, 2003, Wyckoff, New Jersey) was an American swimmer who was the first woman to swim (1926) the English Channel and one of the best-known American sports personages of the 1920s.

“Young Woman and the Sea” is set to hit theaters on May 31, 2024, bringing the story of Gertrude “Trudy” Ederle, the first woman to swim across the English Channel, to the big screen. Directed by Joachim Rønning and featuring Daisy Ridley as Ederle, this film delves deep into the physical and societal currents that shaped Ederle’s historic 1926 swim.

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