The English Channel, often called the Channel, is a body of water which separates southern England and northern France. The Channel has played a key role in Britain’s military conflicts, providing a natural defense for the island nation as well as allowing Britain to blockade the continent. In 1994, the Channel Tunnel (sometimes referred to as the “Chunnel”) opened. The nineteenth century witnessed the emergence of the sport of Channel swimming, with the first successful completed swim by Matthew Web. Gertrude Ederle became the first woman to swim across the Channel in 1926.