← All famous nights
Famous Nights · 24 August 1875

The night the Channel was crossed for the first time

«Nothing great is easy»

24 August 1875. Matthew Webb dived off Admiralty Pier at Dover and swam all night — stung by a jellyfish in the dark, kept going on brandy and beef tea — reaching Calais 21 hours 45 minutes later. Nobody managed it again for 36 years. Every star in its true position. What's your night?

Dover, United Kingdom · 24 August 1875 · 23:30 local · 51.1279° N · 1.3134° E

Now map your own night — from £26.99 The configurator below is already set to this sky. Change the date to yours.
The night the Channel was crossed for the first time — star map art print
The short film

Eight seconds over Dover.

The era scene is an AI reconstruction. The sky above it is not — every star is computed from astronomical data for 24 August 1875, 23:30 local time.

Your sky.

£44.99
Design code: