The Solo Row
The remarkable accomplishment of John Fairfax would have been honored on a grand scale on practically any other week in history. The British explorer launched his rowing boat from the Canary Islands at the beginning of 1969. His objective was to row across an ocean by himself, which had never been done before.
The trip to Fairfax started on January 20. The journey was estimated to be 3,600 miles, but because of unfavorable winds, it turned out to be 5,000 miles. With his supplies running low, the rower was forced to survive on the fish he could catch and the sporadic compassion of passing ships. But in the end, he was successful. After 180 days at sea, Fairfax arrived at the Florida coast on July 19. On July 19, Fairfax made landfall in Florida after 180 days at sea, making history as the first person to row solo across an ocean.
With "a great dinner, a bottle of Scotch, and two aspirin," he celebrated his accomplishment. Unfortunately for him, a bigger marvel of human achievement was occupying the attention of the rest of the world. The Apollo 11 astronauts made history by being the first humans to set foot on the Moon the very next day, July 20, 1969.
- Date:January 20 - July 19 1969
