"for his wire. These tightrope walkers drew huge crowds to witness their exploits. Their wires ran across the gorge, near the current Rainbow Bridge, not over the waterfall itself. Among the many was Ontario's William Hunt, who billed himself as ""The Great Farini"" and competed with Blondin in performing outrageous stunts over the gorge. On three occasions Blondin carried his manager, Harry Colcord, on his back—on the final time being watched by the Prince of Wales. In 1876, 23-year-old Italian Maria Spelterini was the only woman ever to cross the Niagara Gorge on a tightrope, making four crossings over 18"
"Nik Wallenda Nikolas ""Nik"" Wallenda (born January 24, 1979) is an American acrobat, aerialist, daredevil, high wire artist, and author. He is known for his high-wire performances without a safety net. He holds nine Guinness World Records for various acrobatic feats, but is best known as the first person to walk a tightrope stretched directly over Niagara Falls. Wallenda is a seventh-generation member of The Flying Wallendas family, and he participated in various circus acts as a child. He made his professional tightrope walking debut at age 13, and he chose high-wire walking as his career in 1998 after joining"
"joined Dan Rice's Floating Circus and performed at various places on the Mississippi River as tightrope walker and strongman. In spring 1860, he returned to Ontario and made additional challenges to Blondin. The Great Farini made his most famous tightrope performances at Niagara Falls during 1860, commencing on August 15. His feats included crossing a high wire with a man on his back or with a sack over his entire body, turning somersaults while on the rope, hanging from it by his feet, and other seemingly impossible manoeuvres. During this time he was often in competition with fellow tightrope walker"
"Equestrian Day fetes, which will take place on the 10th, 12th, and 14th of June in an immense Pavilion which will be erected for the purpose."" The same advertisements announced performances by R. W. Pelham, the American minstrel. A huge crowd attraction at the gardens was the well-known tightrope walker Charles Blondin, who first performed at the gardens in August 1860. The previous year he had caused a sensation by crossing the Niagara Falls on a tightrope. In May, at the Crystal Palace, he had carried across a stove on the rope, then, still suspended on the wire, proceeded to"
"the longest unsupported tightrope walk in history. He carried his passport on the trip and was required to present it upon arrival on the Canadian side of the falls. Already a huge tourist attraction and favorite spot for honeymooners, Niagara Falls visits rose sharply in 1953 after the release of ""Niagara"", a movie starring Marilyn Monroe and Joseph Cotten. In 1956, the ""Woody Woodpecker"" series released the episode ""Niagara Fools"". The 1974 ABC Movie of the Week, ""The Great Niagara,"" featuring Richard Boone and Randy Quaid and filmed on location, told the story of a family of daredevils who challenged"
"ball and going over the American Falls, but these were never realized and he retired in 1938. Lussier died of natural causes at the age of 80. Jean Lussier Joseph Albert ""Jean"" Lussier (1891–1971) was a Canadian-American daredevil, best known for going over Niagara Falls on July 4, 1928. Unlike the daredevils who had gone over the Falls previously in wooden barrels, Lussier designed and built a 6 ft rubber ball lined with oxygen tubes, he rode over Niagara Falls. Lussier capitalized on his fame by moving to Niagara Falls and selling pieces of the ball to tourists and later"
"of bridging the Niagara"". On some days, the basket ferry conveyed up to 125 people across the gorge. Continuing his construction, Ellet built two footbridges and joined them together to form an wide suspension bridge. He intended to use this temporary bridge as a scaffold for the construction of the permanent railway bridge. On July 29, 1848, the bridge builder inaugurated the span in his typical manner; standing in his horse-buggy like a gladiator in his chariot, Ellet sped across the bridge, which had railings for only a third of its length at that time. His stunt garnered further publicity"
"Jean Lussier Joseph Albert ""Jean"" Lussier (1891–1971) was a Canadian-American daredevil, best known for going over Niagara Falls on July 4, 1928. Unlike the daredevils who had gone over the Falls previously in wooden barrels, Lussier designed and built a 6 ft rubber ball lined with oxygen tubes, he rode over Niagara Falls. Lussier capitalized on his fame by moving to Niagara Falls and selling pieces of the ball to tourists and later used tires after the pieces of the ball ran out. In the 1950s, when Lussier was in his 60s, he talked about plans of building a bigger"
"went to the United States. Blondin went to the United States in 1855. He was encouraged by William Niblo to perform with the Ravel troupe in New York City and was subsequently part proprietor of a circus. He especially owed his celebrity and fortune to his idea to cross the Niagara Gorge (on the Canada–US border) on a tightrope, long, in diameter and above the water, near the location of the current Rainbow Bridge. This he did on 30 June 1859, and a number of times thereafter, often with different theatrical variations: blindfolded, in a sack, trundling a wheelbarrow, on"
"part of the act, according to Wallenda. On February 15, 2012, Nik Wallenda received official approval from Ontario's Niagara Parks Commission (NPC) to walk a tightrope across Niagara Falls, a dream he had had since he was a child. The plan called for crossing the Niagara River and its deep gorge from the American side at Goat Island or at the smaller Luna Island, and making his way across the river to land at the Canadian side near the site of Table Rock. The American Falls and Bridal Veil Falls would be behind him and to his right, while the"
"into the crowd and died days later. He toured South America before returning to the United States in 1864. In August 1864, he attempted to walk across the American Falls on stilts. A stilt got stuck, he lost his balance, and he had to be rescued. He successfully performed the same feat across Chaudière Falls. By 1866, Farini was performing in London as part of the ""Flying Farinis"" at the Cremorne Gardens and the Alhambra Theatre. He quickly became a legend, and was one of the most celebrated acrobats and trapeze artists in Europe. For some time he performed with"
"down the street. It was huge and new, built in 1852 to hold 4000 spectators. Beginning in 1859, it also featured performances by Jules Léotard, a 28-year-old gymnast from Toulouse, who invented the flying trapeze and has been immortalized by the athletic garment named for him: the leotard. Performances on the boulevard began at 6 o'clock, but spectators began lining up outside several hours before. The popularity of an actor or theater was measured by the length of the line outside. Street merchants sold oranges, bouquets of flowers, baked apples and ice cream to those waiting in line. Some spectators,"
"a tight-rope walker, a barrel rider, and those unfortunate enough to accidentally plunge over the Falls. Actors portraying Annie Edson Taylor, Roger Woodard and Charles Blondin (played by Philippe Petit) appear in the film. Niagara: Miracles, Myths and Magic Niagara: Miracles, Myths and Magic is a 1986 IMAX film directed and produced by Kieth Merrill. The film, currently shown hourly at Niagara Falls State Park's Adventure Theater on the American side of the border and multiple times daily (for a fee) at the IMAX Theatre located on the Canadian side of the border, shows the history of the Niagara Falls,"
"live on NBC's ""Today"". Nik Wallenda became the first aerialist to walk directly over Niagara Falls on June 15, 2012, from the United States into Canada. Wearing a safety harness as required by ABC television, he crossed at the river's widest point. Nik Wallenda is the first aerialist to walk over the Little Colorado River Gorge at the Grand Canyon. The event was broadcast live on the Discovery Channel. He used a 2-inch wire and made the journey without a harness or safety net. The canyon is wide and deep. There are several branches of the Wallendas performing today, comprising"
"days. On July 12, she crossed wearing peach baskets strapped to her feet, on July 19 blind-folded, on July 22 with her ankles and wrists manacled and finally on July 26. Tightrope crossings of the falls ended—by law—in 1896, when James Hardy crossed. On June 15, 2012, high wire artist Nik Wallenda became the first person to walk across the falls in 116 years, after receiving special permission from both governments. The full length of his tightrope was . Wallenda crossed near the brink of the Horseshoe Falls, unlike walkers who had crossed farther downstream. According to Wallenda, it was"
"bridges, factory walls, and ships' masts. In the fall of 1829, Patch gained fame by leaping into the Niagara River near the base of Niagara Falls. Patch was the star attraction at an event designed to draw visitors to the falls. A 125-foot ladder was extended over the river below Goat Island, opposite the Cave of the Winds. Less than an hour before the scheduled noon jump, a chain securing the ladder to the cliff wall snapped, breaking 15 feet from the ladder. Rescheduled for 4 PM, Patch jumped on time. A boat circled near the entry point, but Patch"
"bridge just below the rapids, before settling on the new Niagara Falls Suspension Bridge. This double-decker rail and carriage bridge was completed earlier that year, completely replacing an earlier suspension bridge on the same site, with minimal traffic disruption. That bridge had only seen one previous jump, by a Bellini in 1873, who performed a sort of bungee jump. In the company of a ferryman, a few members of the press, and his trainer, J. Haley, Donovan made the leap at 7 AM, wearing the same outfit he used for the Brooklyn Bridge jump. The height was calculated at 190"
"through the Whirlpool Rapids on the Niagara River below Niagara Falls, a feat many observers considered suicidal. Although Webb failed in an attempt at raising interest in funding the event, on 24 July 1883, he jumped into the river from a small boat located near the Niagara Falls Suspension Bridge and began his swim. Accounts of the time indicate that in all likelihood Webb successfully survived the first part of the swim, but died in the section of the river located near the entrance to the whirlpool. Webb was interred in Oakwood Cemetery, Niagara Falls, New York. In 1909, Webb's"
"Flying trapeze The flying trapeze is a specific form of the trapeze in which a performer jumps from a platform with the trapeze so that gravity makes the trapeze swing. The performance was invented in 1859 by a Frenchman named Jules Léotard, who connected a bar to some ventilator cords above the swimming pool in his father's gymnasium in Toulouse, France. After practicing tricks above the pool, Leotard performed his act in the Cirque Napoleon (now known as the Cirque d'hiver). The traditional flier's costume, the leotard, is named after him. In a traditional flying trapeze act, flyers mount a"
"or been severely injured. Survivors face charges and stiff fines, as it is illegal, on both sides of the border, to attempt to go over the falls. In 1918, there was a near disaster when a barge, known locally as the Niagara Scow, working upriver broke its tow, and almost plunged over the falls. The two workers on board saved themselves by grounding the vessel on rocks just short of the falls, where it has remained ever since. Englishman Captain Matthew Webb, the first man to swim the English Channel, drowned in 1883 trying to swim the rapids downriver from"
"Charmion Laverie Vallee ""née"" Cooper (July 18, 1875 – February 6, 1949), best known by her stage name Charmion, was an American vaudeville trapeze artist and strongwoman whose well-publicized suggestive performance was captured on film in 1901 by Thomas Edison. A native of Sacramento, Charmion built her act around a memorable routine which opened with her on-stage entrance dressed in full Victorian street attire. She subsequently mounted the trapeze and disrobed down to her acrobat leotards in the midst of the trapeze's swinging motion. She appears to have begun performing while in her late teens, and this was part of"
"Maria Spelterini Maria Spelterini (sometimes spelled Spelterina and occasionally referred to as Marie, July 7, 1853 – October 19, 1912) was an Italian tightrope walker who was the only woman to cross the Niagara gorge on a tightrope, which she did on July 8, 1876 as part of a celebration of the U.S. Centennial. She used two and a quarter inch (57 mm) wire and crossed just north of the lower suspension bridge. She crossed again on July 12, 1876, this time wearing peach baskets strapped to her feet. She crossed blindfolded on July 19, and on July 22 she"
"waterfalls, including this one of Niagara Falls. Niagara Falls was first described in the journals of Samuel de Champlain in 1604. The first published eyewitness description was by Louis Hennepin in ""Description of Louisiana"" (1683). His later work, ""A New Discovery of a Vast Country"" (1697), included the first image of the falls based on his description and not done on site. Davies later painted two additional views of the falls . His work was not well known until after a 1953 auction from the Earl of Derby's library. These paintings were then shown as part of a major exhibition"
"John Uelses John H. Uelses (born ""Hans Joachim Feigenbaum"" on July 14, 1937) is a retired American pole vaulter. He made history by becoming the first man to vault over 16 feet – on February 2, 1962, at the Millrose Games in New York’s Madison Square Garden, before a sold-out crowd, Uelses soared over the bar at 16' 1/4"", making headlines around the world. At the Boston Games, he broke his own indoor record, clearing the bar at 16' 3/4."" His record-breaking jump in Madison Square Garden was upheld and both records stood. In the spring, the Marine Corps approved"
"Nathan Boya Nathan Boya (real name William Fitzgerald) was the first African American to go over Niagara Falls. Very little is known about Fitzgerald. He claimed to be self-employed, but others have claimed he worked for IBM. On July 15, 1961, Fitzgerald went over the Horseshoe Falls in a metal ball he helped design called the ""Plunge-O-Sphere"". Performing stunts on the Falls could only be performed with permission, following the death of William Hill, Jr in 1951. Fitzgerald did not obtain a permit to do his stunt and was arrested and fined after completing it. After the flurry of appearances"
"as having perfected the invention in the 19th century. He created the diorama which was a still painting viewed by an audience sitting on a rotating platform. This soon gave way to the moving panorama in which a setting was painted on a long cloth, which could be unrolled across the stage by turning spools, created an illusion of movement and changing locales. A popular American play, William Dunlap's ""A Trip to Niagara"" (1828), used this device to show a voyage from New York City to Niagara Falls via a steamboat. The advent of the panoramas coupled with Charles Kean’s"
"Jean Nicolet Jean Nicolet (Nicollet), Sieur de Belleborne (""ca."" 15981 November 1642) was a French ""coureur des bois"" noted for discovering and exploring Lake Michigan, Mackinac Island, Green Bay, and being the first European to set foot in what is now the U.S. state of Wisconsin. Nicolet (Nicollet) was born in Cherbourg-Octeville, France, in the late 1590s, the son of Thomas Nicollet, who was ""messenger ordinary of the King between Paris and Cherbourg"", and Marguerite de Lamer. They were members of the Roman Catholic Church. He was a known friend of Samuel de Champlain and Étienne Brûlé. He was attracted"
"called for utilizing surrounding industrial areas for parklands that include a trail network and recreation areas, and creating new areas to view the falls. These plans were superseded by the establishment of Great Falls National Historical Park (see below). The unique history of the falls and the city were described in the five-volume philosophical poem ""Paterson"" by William Carlos Williams. Among the episodes described in Williams' poem is the 1827 leap over the falls by Sam Patch, who later became the first known person to perform a stunt at Niagara Falls. The 2016 film Paterson, directed by Jim Jarmusch, is"
"Santa Ana, California at the age of 73. Charmion Laverie Vallee ""née"" Cooper (July 18, 1875 – February 6, 1949), best known by her stage name Charmion, was an American vaudeville trapeze artist and strongwoman whose well-publicized suggestive performance was captured on film in 1901 by Thomas Edison. A native of Sacramento, Charmion built her act around a memorable routine which opened with her on-stage entrance dressed in full Victorian street attire. She subsequently mounted the trapeze and disrobed down to her acrobat leotards in the midst of the trapeze's swinging motion. She appears to have begun performing while in"
"Niagara River was the site of the earliest recorded railway in America. It was an inclined wooden tramway built by John Montresor (1736–1799), a British military engineer, in 1764. Called ""The Cradles"" and ""The Old Lewiston Incline,"" it featured loaded carts pulled up wooden rails by rope. It facilitated the movement of goods over the Niagara Escarpment in present-day Lewiston, New York. Several battles occurred along the Niagara River, which was historically defended by Fort George (Canadian side) and Fort Niagara (American side) at the mouth of the river and Fort Erie (Canadian side) at the head of the river."
"fiberglass, balsa wood for flotation, and covered with truck tire inner tubes for shock absorption. Trotter was strapped into an automotive racing harness, and equipped with flashlights, lifejacket, two-way radio, and oxygen tanks. The ends of the barrel were sealed with submarine-style twist caps. At 8:30AM, Trotter's 11-man crew launched his barrel into the Niagara River rapids, a quarter-mile from the brink of the Canadian Horseshoe Falls. Trotter went over the Falls and survived with minor scrapes. Trotter said the stunt was ""like the best roller-coaster ride you had as a 10-year-old."" He was fined $500 by the Niagara Parks"
"Robert Zemeckis and starring Joseph Gordon-Levitt as Petit. Petit has made dozens of public high-wire performances in his career; in 1986 he re-enacted the crossing of the Niagara River by Blondin for an IMAX film. In 1989, to celebrate the 200th anniversary of the French Revolution, mayor Jacques Chirac invited him to walk an inclined wire strung from the ground at the Place du Trocadéro to the second level of the Eiffel Tower, crossing the Seine. Petit briefly headlined with the Ringling Brothers Circus, but preferred staging his own performances. During his stint with the circus and a practice walk,"
"was shot in October 2006 to portray ""World's End"" of the movie """". Professional kayaker Rafa Ortiz's preparation to paddle over the falls in a kayak is documented in the 2015 film ""Chasing Niagara"". Composer Ferde Grofé was commissioned by the Niagara Falls Power Generation project in 1960 to compose the Niagara Falls Suite in honor of the completion of the first stage of hydroelectric work at the falls. Each movement is dedicated to the falls, or to the history of the greater Buffalo region. In 1997, composer Michael Daugherty composed ""Niagara Falls"", a piece for concert band inspired by"