Lynne Cox Bering Strait Swim
A 1987 swim between Alaska and the Soviet Union during the Cold War
Overview
In August 1987 Lynne Cox swam about 4 km from Little Diomede Island in the United States to Big Diomede in the Soviet Union, in water only a few degrees above freezing. She swam without a wetsuit after years of negotiation with Soviet officials. Ronald Reagan and Mikhail Gorbachev both praised the swim later that year as a symbol of improving relations.
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