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Niagara
Falls Daredevils
Check out Niagara Falls Daredevils, popular stunters who tried to conquer Niagara Falls
One
of the most challenging and dangerous paths these daredevils took was going through the upper
rapids of the Niagara River and then plunging over the edge of the
Horseshoe Falls in a barrel.The other popular stunts are walking on shaky and thin ropes, swimming across the River...
Daredevils are thrill seekers, attracted by the danger, but without putting too much thought in what is involved. Most of them went over the Falls to make a name, to make money, while others actually didn't know why they did it.
The dangers of Niagara Falls include crushing water, the rocks, rapids and injury from the craft, fall in the rapids while tightrope walking...
There were only 16 people that challenged mighty Niagara Falls, 22 went through the rapids and 11 walked a tightrope across the Niagara River and the Gorge.
At IMAX theater you can see the movie "Legends and Daredevils" about popular stuntmen and women who challenged the dangerous waterfalls, hear about Niagara history, and explore the barrels and artifacts used for this challenge.
Popular Niagara Falls Daredevils - Tightrope walkers
One of the most famous and world's greatest tightrope and high-wire walkers was Jean Francois Gravelet, better known as The Great Blondin. Blondin was already known to the world, but Niagara Falls was a truly challenge for him so he visited the Falls in 1858 driven by the ambition.
Spectacular Blondin didn't only cross the Niagara Gorge, but he danced on the wire, jumped in the air, did handstands on the wire, balanced on the chair, cross the Gorge blindfolded, pushed the wheelbarrow over the wire... and every performance attracted a massive crowd of spectators.
On 1860, William Hunt, known as Farini, crossed the Niagara River on his own tightrope, becoming one of the biggest Blondin's competitions. He started practicing acrobatics and learned to walk a rope in the family barn. He did many feats as Blondin, but he also lowered himself by rope to a boat in the river.
Henry Bellini known as The Australian Blondin was also a famous tightrope walker who performed each Monday and Wednesday of the 1873 season. His rope span was the greatest ever erected in the world, 1500 feet. He also performed the great feasts of tightrope walking, blindfolded, wheeling a barrow and conclude the performance with the jump into the Niagara River, known as the "couchone leap."
Stephen Peer was the Henry Bellini's assistant who wanted to become the Niagara's first native stuntman. He wanted to cross the Niagara River on a five-eights inch wire cable, much thinner than heavier ropes of his predecessors, a method nobody tried before... and he successfully did it.
Maria Spelterina is known as the first female ropewalker and among only few Niagara Falls daredevils who attempt to cross Niagara Gorge.
Popular Niagara Falls Daredevils - Barrel stunters
Totally different and far more dangerous stunt, performed by Niagara daredevils and stunters was going over the Niagara Falls in a barrel, kayak or any other floating vessel.
Most of these stunters are coming from the end of nineteenth and beginning of twentieth century.
The first and the most famous daredevil, who took a plunge over the Falls in a barrel was believe it or not a sixty-three year old woman, Annie Edson Taylor.
Annie was too poor with no Social Security, so she tried to cash in on her stunt. She challenged the Falls and survived with minor cuts and bruises. The trip was smooth and lasted 75 minutes, but without happy ending she had envisioned. She even tried to present herself as the "Heroine of Horseshoe Falls" and make good living by entertaining audiences with her adventure story as the stunter. She died poor.
Ten years after Annie's attempt over the Horseshoe Falls, an experienced professional stuntman Bobby Leach took a trip over the falls, in 1911, in his bullet-shaped iron tank. He was the first man to survive a ride past the lip of Niagara Falls.
Carlisle Graham was the first daredevil to use a barrel. In 1886, he did his stunt for the first time ever, through the rapids and the whirlpool. The stunt was done in 5.5 foot barrel constructed by him. He completed this 30 min turbulent ride safely, and few weeks after made another trip with his head sticking out of the barrel. The trip was done successfully but leaving him hard of hearing for the rest of his life.
Karel Soucek was motorcycle stuntman and Niagara Falls daredevil, who tried his stunt over the Horseshoe Falls in 1984 in his homemade, converted metal oil drum. His stunt was successfully completed, even with the free fall speed of 75 miles per hour, without serious incidents and recorded by a professional crew.
One of the most popular Niagara Falls daredevils from the modern history and present days is Jay Cochrane, tightrope walker, who can be seen during the summer and above the new Fallsview Casino and Hilton hotel on the rope.
How important Niagara Falls daredevils were in its history shows the Oakwood Cemetery in Niagara Falls NY that was completely devoted to the graves of its stunters.
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