Richard Halliburton (9 January 1900 – presumed dead after 24 March 1939) was an American traveler, adventurer, and author. Best known nowadays for having swum the length of the Panama Canal and paying the lowest toll in its history—thirty-six cents—Halliburton was headline news for most of his brief career. His final and fatal adventure, an attempt to sail a Chinese junk, the Sea Dragon, across the Pacific Ocean from Hong Kong to the Golden Gate ...
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Richard Halliburton (9 January 1900 – presumed dead after 24 March 1939) was an American traveler, adventurer, and author. Best known nowadays for having swum the length of the Panama Canal and paying the lowest toll in its history—thirty-six cents—Halliburton was headline news for most of his brief career. His final and fatal adventure, an attempt to sail a Chinese junk, the Sea Dragon, across the Pacific Ocean from Hong Kong to the Golden Gate International Exposition in San Francisco, made him legendary.
Richard Halliburton was born in Brownsville, Tennessee to Wesley, a civil engineer and real estate speculator, and Nelle Nance Halliburton. A brother, Wesley Jr., was born in 1903. The family moved to Memphis, where the brothers, who were not close, spent their childhood. Richard's favorite subjects were geography and history, he showed promise as a violinist, and was a fair golfer and tennis player. In 1915, Richard developed a rapid heart condition and spent some four months in...
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