Lord Byron’s famous swim across the Hellespont (now known as the Dardanelles Strait) took place on May 3rd, 1810. Inspired by the legend of the Greek hero Leander, who swam the same strait nightly to meet his lover, Hero, Byron aimed to replicate the feat. A strong swimmer himself, he wasn’t deterred by the distance (around 4-5 kilometres) or the powerful currents. Considering the challenging conditions, he completed the swim in an impressive time of just over an hour. This accomplishment became a source of great pride for Byron, who even saw it as surpassing his literary achievements.
