21 Facts About Paul Boyton

Paul Boyton, known as the Fearless Frogman, was a showman and adventurer some credit as having spurred worldwide interest in water sports as a hobby, particularly open-water swimming.

Paul Boyton was born on 29 June 1848 in Dublin, Ireland to Terrance and Marie Boyton, and grew up in Pennsylvania.

Paul Boyton learned to swim at a young age in Pittsburgh, and used his skills to save his friends from drowning.

Paul Boyton served as a sailor for the Union in the American Civil War, fought against Maximilian I of Mexico during the fall of his empire, and fought with the French franc-tireurs during the Franco-Prussian War.

Paul Boyton then became head of the New Jersey Life-Saving Service, where he reduced the number of drownings per year from twenty to none.

Paul Boyton's following shows in Queenstown Harbour and around Dublin were extremely popular, so much so that he was sent an invitation to meet Queen Victoria and Princess Beatrice on a yacht near the Isle of Wight, which he accepted.

Paul Boyton's toughest swim in the suit was a channel crossing.

Aboard the boat following Paul Boyton were reporters from the Standard, The Observer, The Illustrated London News, The Times, Bell's Life, the New York Herald, The Telegraph, The Daily News and The Graphic.

At 18:30, Paul Boyton was 4 miles from Dover, and by 02:30, he had laded at Fan Bay, near the Port of Dover.

Paul Boyton was sent telegrams by Queen Victoria, President Grant and Albert Edward congratulating him.

Paul Boyton made numerous further expeditions in this suit, swimming up and down rivers across America and Europe to publicize its uses.

Two white buoys were placed half a mile apart, with Webb tasked with swimming around them twenty times in regular swimming trunks, and Paul Boyton tasked with swimming around them twenty-five times with his suit.

Unfortunately for Webb, he got a severe cramp which ended his race, while Paul Boyton simply cruised to the finish.

Paul Boyton challenged Webb again, via a letter to the New York Herald that offered him even greater odds.

In 1885, Paul Boyton was involved in the fatal leap from Brooklyn Bridge of Robert Emmet Odlum, brother of women's rights activist Charlotte Odlum Smith.

Paul Boyton wrote Mrs Odlum a letter disclaiming responsibility, which he published in The New York Times and other periodicals.

Catherine Odlum claimed in the biography she wrote of her son that Paul Boyton hid or destroyed letters and telegrams from himself to Robert Odlum urging him to travel to New York and make the Brooklyn Bridge jump.

Paul Boyton settled in Chicago in 1888 and noted the success of the attractions Midway at Chicago's Columbian Exposition of 1892.

Paul Boyton fenced the property and charged admission, an innovation at the time.

In 1902, Paul Boyton sold Sea Lion Park to Frederic Thompson and Elmer "Skip" Dundy, who redesigned the park and renamed it Luna Park, the first of many of that name to come.

Paul Boyton is a member of the International Swimming Hall of Fame.