Discover Toronto's history as told through its plaques

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Marilyn Bell

Photos and transcription by contributor Wayne Adam - Posted August, 2015

Photo Source - Wikipedia

Photo Source - Google Maps

On the passenger deck of the MV Marilyn Bell ferry, in service between the foot of Eireann Quay and Billy Bishop Toronto City Airport, can be seen this plaque. Here's what it tells us:

Coordinates: 43.633140 -79.397088

Marilyn Bell (born 1937) became the first person to swim across Lake Ontario on September 9, 1954, and a beloved Canadian sports hero.

At the age of only 16, Bell swam from Youngstown, N.Y., to Toronto, a distance of more than 51.5 kilometres, in 21 hours. Bell endured frigid water, lamprey eels, pollution and overwhelming fatigue, and was the only person to successfully complete the journey while competing against two other swimmers.

Bell's swim inspired Canadians across the country, who followed her progress through hourly radio updates. When she reached a breakwater along Toronto's lakeshore, just west of Exhibition Place at what is now Marilyn Bell Park, she was greeted by thousands of cheering supporters.

Bell became an international celebrity after her feat of strength and endurance. In the two years after her historic achievement, she also became the youngest person to swim the English Channel as well as the Strait of Juan de Fuca between Vancouver Island and Washington State.

Her courage and determination in the face of seemingly insurmountable challenges earned her a place in the Canadian Sports Hall of Fame.

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