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Weekend


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November 21, 2003

Strange But True!

  • A weekly column of incidental information, off-the-wall observations and other random facts about the world.
    • By BILL SONES and RICH SONES, Ph.D.
    Special to the Journal

    Q. Could you swim all the way from the U.S. to Russia nonstop?

    A. Easy, if you're geared up for cold water and can do a few miles. In the Bering Strait between Siberia and Alaska lies Little Diomede Island, part of Alaska. Two-and-a-half miles west, across the international boundary, lies Big Diomede Island, part of Russia. A chilly swim even in summer, but not an impossible one -- it's been done -- in spite of having to dodge any ice floes. Yet however mighty your swimstroke, you still wouldn't arrive officially until the following day, due to crossing the international dateline.


     
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