<Tr> <Td> 9 May 1816 </Td> <Td> Paddle steamer Defiance, Captain William Wager, was the first steamer to cross the Channel to Holland </Td> <Td> </Td> <Td> </Td> </Tr> <Tr> <Td> 10 June 1821 </Td> <Td> Paddle steamer Rob Roy, first passenger ferry to cross channel </Td> <Td> </Td> <Td> The steamer was purchased subsequently by the French postal administration and renamed Henri IV . </Td> </Tr> <Tr> <Td> June 1843 </Td> <Td> First ferry connection through Folkestone - Boulogne </Td> <Td> </Td> <Td> Commanding officer Captain Hayward </Td> </Tr> <Tr> <Td> 25 July 1959 </Td> <Td> Hovercraft crossing (Calais to Dover, 2 hours 3 minutes) </Td> <Td> SR - N1 </Td> <Td> Sir Christopher Cockerell was on board </Td> </Tr>

What is the geographical significance of the english channel