Thomas William Burgess, English swimmer and water polo player (d. 1950)
Thomas William Burgess (15 June 1872 – 2 July 1950) was the second person to successfully complete a swim of the English Channel after Matthew Webb. He performed the feat on 6 September 1911, on his 16th attempt. British by nationality, Burgess spent most of his life in France, and won a bronze medal with the French water polo team at the 1900 Olympics.In 1926 he coached Gertrude Ederle who became the first woman to swim the English Channel.
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1872Jun, 15
Thomas William Burgess
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Events on 1872
- 5Mar
Railway air brake
George Westinghouse patents the air brake. - 22Mar
Gender equality
Illinois becomes the first state to require gender equality in employment. - 22May
Amnesty Act
Reconstruction Era: President Ulysses S. Grant signs the Amnesty Act into law, restoring full civil and political rights to all but about 500 Confederate sympathizers. - 18Nov
United States presidential election, 1872
Susan B. Anthony and 14 other women are arrested for illegal voting in the United States presidential election of 1872. - 9Dec
P. B. S. Pinchback
In Louisiana, P. B. S. Pinchback becomes the first African-American governor of a U.S. state.