I swear this drink is watered down, and The Rosiland Russell Aquavit Cocktail

On this day in 1926, 20 year old American swimmer Gertrude Ederle becomes the first woman to swim across the English Channel. The daughter of a butcher and a Gold Medal winner at the 1924 Summer Olympics in the 400 meter freestyle the time of her swim (14 hours and 39 minutes) was almost an hour faster than the previous men's record.

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Also on this day in 1926, Harry Houdini performs perhaps his greatest feat, spending 91 minutes underwater in a coffin before being brought up. In response to questions about the stunt being rigged Houdini responded, "there is no invention to it, there is no trick, there is no fake; you simply lie down in a coffin and breathe quietly."
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On this day in 1986, A storm that developed off the coast of The New South Wales coast drops 13 inches of rain in a 24 hour period over Sydney.

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It's a water theme today, and when I think of water I think Aqua and when I think Aqua I think Aquavit.

The Historical Inebriant: The Rosiland Russell -

http://www.tree.com/food-dining/aquavit.aspx              Aquavit Cocktail

Ingredients:

2 oz. aquavit
1 oz. dry vermouth
A twist of lemon peel.

Shake the vermouth and aquavit in a cocktail shaker filled with ice. Strain into a chilled martini glass.  Garnish with the lemon peel.