This Week in Outdoor History: Thor Heyerdahl, Jesse Owens & Thomas Stevens

Filed in archive Outdoor News on August 6, 2007

This week in outdoor news includes a few firsts, including the first woman to swim across the english channel and the first climbers to submit Mont Blanc.

August 3, 1958: The nuclear-powered submarine Nautilus became the first vessel to cross the North Pole underwater.

August 4, 1884: Thomas Stevens became the first person to bicycle across the United States. He later bicycled around the world.

August 5, 1984: Joan Benoit won the first Olympic women's marathon

August 6, 1926: Gertrude Ederle became the first U.S. woman to swim across the English Channel.

August 7, 1947: The wooden raft Kon-Tiki, which carried Thor Heyerdahl and five companions more than 4,000 miles, crashed into a reef in the Pacific.

August 8, 1786: Dr. Michael-Gabriel Paccard and Jacques Balmat became the first to climb Mont Blanc.

August 9, 1936: Jesse Owens became the first American to win four gold medals in one Olympics.

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