{"id":355,"date":"2018-09-15T13:12:54","date_gmt":"2018-09-15T13:12:54","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/nyadfactcheck.com\/annex\/2018\/09\/15\/early-manhattan-women-swimmers-on-film\/"},"modified":"2025-09-06T20:44:10","modified_gmt":"2025-09-06T20:44:10","slug":"early-manhattan-women-swimmers-on-film","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/nyadfactcheck.com\/annex\/early-manhattan-women-swimmers-on-film\/","title":{"rendered":"Early Manhattan Women Swimmers on Film"},"content":{"rendered":"

15 September 2018<\/p>\n

Dear Reputable Historians,<\/p>\n

You\u2019ll recall that, back in 2011,\u00a0CNN\u00a0caught Diana Nyad lying<\/a> about being the first woman to swim around Manhattan Island. In response, Ms. Nyad posted and quickly deleted a disingenuous non-apology. You can still find it here<\/a>.<\/p>\n

An excerpt:<\/p>\n

The history is unclear.\u00a0The dissemination of accurate information has not followed an empirical path.\u00a0I am waiting for the most reputable historians of the sport to dig further and publish their research as to their collective best versions as to who did in fact circle Manhattan, when and how.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

\"\"<\/a>
Screenshot from \u201cSwim around Manhattan\u2013outtakes<\/a>\u201d (via MIRC<\/a>) showing Anne Priller Benoit joking with an unidentified competitor before the start of the 1930 race around Manhattan. Benoit finished 5th overall and 1st among the women.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

I write to you hoping that you\u2019ll grab your shovels and resume digging.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

Thinking that it would be undignified for reputable historians to work up too much of a sweat, I gathered evidence for you \u2014 after Nyad posted her response to CNN \u2014 and filed it here: Newspaper Clippings of Nyad\u2019s Manhattan Predecessors<\/a>.<\/p>\n

But you were too slow. Maybe you just wanted to be thorough and academically rigorous. Whatever it was, Diana got antsy and didn\u2019t wait for your \u201ccollective best versions.\u201d Within a year, she was back to #1.\u00a0(See\u00a0Nyad\u2019s Manhattan 1st<\/a> timeline.)<\/p>\n

So, reputable-but-dilatory historians, I offer the following. For the first time in the annals of sport<\/a>, a single depository contains all the publicly available film of Nyad\u2019s Manhattan predecessors (see below). If I\u2019ve missed something, please let me know.<\/p>\n

One note before we enter the Annex\u2019s climate-controlled, fire-proof (some of the old film is on celluloid<\/a>) vault. I located footage of five of the six women, including film of three of them swimming \u2014 or preparing to swim \u2014 around Manhattan, and film of one of them completing the swim.<\/p>\n

For what it\u2019s worth, I found no film of Nyad completing the swim either.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>
Detail from \u201cWoman Swimmer Circles Manhattan On Her 2d Attempt<\/a>,\u201d New York Times, 7 Oct 1075.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

<\u00b0))\u0302)\u0316)><\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 ><((\u0317(\u0302(\u00b0>\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 <\u00b0))\u0302)\u0316)><\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 ><((\u0317(\u0302(\u00b0>\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 <\u00b0))\u0302)\u0316)><\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 ><((\u0317(\u0302(\u00b0><\/p>\n

Diane Struble (1959)<\/h5>\n

Not only do we have footage of the beginning, middle, and end of Struble\u2019s swim, but we also have film of her appearance on the television game show \u201cI\u2019ve Got a Secret\u201d (from November 1959). What\u2019s Struble hiding? Here\u2019s a hint: her secret may cause Diana Nyad to summon you historians again.<\/p>\n