Facts you probably didn't know about the English Channel
Bayeux Tapestry: The 11th-century Bayeux Tapestry depicts the events leading up to the Norman conquest of England by William.
World's busiest shipping lanes: The English Channel has traffic on both the UK–Europe and North Sea–Atlantic routes.
Channel coastline resorts: Pictured is Osborne House, the summer retreat of Queen Victoria on the Isle of Wight.
First person to swim the English Channel: Captain Matthew Webb (1848–1883), from Dawley in Shropshire.
Tunnel vision: In 1856, French engineer Aimé Thomé de Gamond presented a proposal to Napoleon III.
Channel Tunnel: Obviously not! Opened in 1994, the Channel Tunnel is the only fixed link.
Channel landmark: Mont Saint-Michel in Normandy is one of the most visited.
First flight across the English Channel: On July 25, 1909, French aviator Louis Blériot (1872–1936) became world-famous for making the first airplane flight.
Omaha Beach: The code word "Omaha" refers to an 8-km (5-mi) section of the coast of Normandy.
Dunkirk evacuation: A fleet of over 800 vessels crisscrossed the Channel between May 26 and June 4.