Editing Niagara Falls (section)

==Over the falls==
{{anchor|Over The Falls}}
{{see also|List of people to have gone over Niagara Falls}}

===Jumps, plunges and walks ===
[[File:BobbyLeachNiagaraFalls.jpg|thumb|[[Bobby Leach]] and his barrel after his trip over Niagara Falls, (1911 photo)]]

The first recorded publicity stunt using the Falls was the wreck of the schooner ''Michigan'' in 1827. Local hotel owners acquired a former Lake Erie freighter, loaded it with animals and effigies of people, towed it to a spot above the falls and let it plunge over the brink. Admission of fifty cents was charged.<ref>Strand, pp. 65-68</ref>

In October 1829, [[Sam Patch]], who called himself "the Yankee Leapster", jumped from a high tower into the gorge below the falls and survived; this began a long tradition of [[Stunt performer|daredevils]] trying to go over the falls. Englishman [[Matthew Webb|Captain Matthew Webb]], the first man to swim the [[English Channel]], drowned in 1883 trying to swim the rapids downriver from the falls.<ref>{{cite web| url=http://www.niagarafrontier.com/devil_frame.html#WEBB |title=Niagara Falls Daredevils: a history |publisher=Niagarafrontier.com |access-date=August 21, 2011}}</ref>

On October 24, 1901, 63-year-old Michigan school teacher [[Annie Edson Taylor]] became the first person to go over the falls in a barrel as a publicity stunt; she survived, bleeding, but otherwise unharmed. Soon after exiting the barrel, she said, "No one ought ever do that again."<ref>{{Cite news| last1=Thompson| first1=Carolyn| title=Seeking Out Death-- Or Defying It: For Niagara Falls, It's a Busy Season for Tourism, Suicide and Daredevils| newspaper=[[Sun-Sentinel]]| location=Fort Lauderdale, Florida| date=July 2, 2000|page=3A}}</ref> Days before Taylor's attempt, her domestic cat was sent over the falls in her barrel to test its strength. The cat survived the plunge unharmed and later posed with Taylor in photographs.<ref>Parish, Charles Carlin, ''Queen of the Mist: The Story of Annie Edson Taylor, First Person Ever to Go Over Niagara Falls and Survive'' (Empire State Books, Interlaken NY, 1987, {{ISBN|0-932334-89-X}}), p. 55.</ref> Since Taylor's historic ride, over a dozen people have intentionally gone over the falls in or on a device, despite her advice. Some have survived unharmed, but others have drowned or been severely injured. Survivors face charges and stiff fines, as it is now illegal, on both sides of the border, to attempt to go over the falls. [[Charles Stephens (daredevil)|Charles Stephens]], a 58-year-old barber from [[Bristol]], England, went over the falls in a wooden barrel in July 1920 and was the first person to die in an endeavor of this type.<ref>{{cite web|date=March 1, 2016|title=Charles Stephens|url=http://www.infoniagara.com/niagaradaredevils/charlestephens.aspx|access-date=November 4, 2019|publisher=Info Niagara|quote=THE FIRST DAREDEVIL TO LOSE HIS LIFE GOING OVER THE FALLS WAS CHARLES STEPHENS.}}</ref> [[Bobby Leach]] went over Horseshoe Falls in a crude steel barrel in 1911 and needed rescuing by [[William "Red" Hill Sr.]]<ref>{{cite book |last=Berton |first=Pierre |date=July 27, 2011 |title=Niagara: A History of the Falls |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=P_Rr06A2H6UC&q=bobby+leach&pg=PA329 |location=Toronto |publisher=Anchor Canada |page=304 |isbn=978-0385659307 |author-link=Pierre Berton}}</ref> Hill again came to the rescue of Leach following his failed attempt to swim the [[Niagara Gorge]] in 1920. In 1928, "Smiling Jean" Lussier tried an entirely different concept, going over the falls in a large rubber ball; he was successful and survived the ordeal.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.today.com/news/ultimate-guide-enjoying-niagara-falls-wbna19711796 |title=The ultimate guide to enjoying Niagara Falls |date=July 11, 2007 |publisher=Today |access-date=November 4, 2019 }}</ref>
[[File:Annie Taylor.jpg|thumb|left|[[Annie Edson Taylor]] posing with her wooden barrel (1901)|upright]]

In the "Miracle at Niagara", on July 9, 1960, Roger Woodward, a seven-year-old American boy, was swept over Horseshoe Falls after the boat in which he was cruising lost power; two tourists pulled his 17-year-old sister Deanne from the river only {{convert|20|ft|m|order=flip|sigfig=1|abbr=on}} from the lip of the Horseshoe Falls at Goat Island.<ref name="Goat Island">{{cite web | url = http://www.wholesomewords.org/children/stories/overfalls.html | title = Over the Falls | access-date = September 24, 2006}}</ref> Minutes later, Woodward was plucked from the roiling plunge pool beneath Horseshoe Falls after grabbing a life ring thrown to him by the crew of the ''[[Maid of the Mist]]'' boat.<ref>{{cite web| url=http://www.infoniagara.com/history/rogerwoodward_miracle.aspx| title=Account of Roger Woodward's Niagara Falls incident| access-date=October 3, 2008}}</ref><ref>{{cite web| url=http://www.nfpl.library.on.ca/nfplindex/search.asp?search=1&db=5&idx=ti&query=roger+Woodward| title=Pictures from the Niagara Falls Public Library (Ont.) Includes a stamp issued to commemorate the event| access-date=October 3, 2008}}{{dead link|date=December 2017 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}</ref> The children's uncle, Jim Honeycutt, who had been steering the boat, was swept over the edge to his death.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.niagarafallsinfo.com/niagara-falls-history/niagara-falls-tourism-history/daredevils-of-niagara-falls/roger-woodward/ |title=Roger Woodward |date=July 11, 2007 |publisher=Info Niagara|access-date=November 4, 2019 }}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.maidofthemist.com/the-maid-experience/maid-history/|title=Maid History &#124; Niagara Falls Boat Rides & Trips &#124; Maid of the Mist|date=April 8, 2022 }}</ref>

On July 2, 1984, Canadian [[Karel Soucek]] from [[Hamilton, Ontario]], plunged over Horseshoe Falls in a barrel with only minor injuries. Soucek was fined $500 for performing the stunt without a license. In 1985, he was fatally injured while attempting to re-create the Niagara drop at the [[Astrodome|Houston Astrodome]]. His aim was to climb into a barrel hoisted to the rafters of the Astrodome and to drop {{convert|180|ft|m|abbr=on|order=flip}} into a water tank on the floor. After his barrel released prematurely, it hit the side of the tank, and he died the next day from his injuries.<ref name="KarelSoucek">{{cite web |url=http://www.infoniagara.com/other/daredevils/karel.html| title=Info Niagara Karel Soucek |access-date=February 8, 2008 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20080109131113/http://www.infoniagara.com/other/daredevils/karel.html| archive-date = January 9, 2008}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1985-01-21-mn-14186-story.html|title=35,000 Watch as Barrel Misses Water Tank : 180-Ft. Drop Ends in Stunt Man's Death|agency=Associated Press|date=January 21, 1985|work=Los Angeles Times|access-date=September 20, 2018|language=en-US|issn=0458-3035}}</ref>

In August 1985, [[Steve Trotter]], an aspiring stuntman from [[Rhode Island]], became the youngest person ever (age 22) and the first American in 25 years to go over the falls in a barrel. Ten years later, Trotter went over the falls again, becoming the second person to go over the falls twice and survive. It was also the second "duo"; Lori Martin joined Trotter for the barrel ride over the falls. They survived the fall, but their barrel became stuck at the bottom of the falls, requiring a rescue.<ref>{{cite web| url=http://www.niagarafrontier.com/devil_frame.html#TROTTER |title=Niagara Falls Daredevils: a history |publisher=Niagarafrontier.com |access-date=August 21, 2011}}</ref>

On September 28, 1989, Niagara natives Peter DeBernardi and Jeffery James Petkovich became the first "team" to make it over the falls in a two-person barrel. The stunt was conceived by DeBenardi, who wanted to discourage youth from following in his path of addictive drug use. The pair emerged shortly after going over with minor injuries and were charged with performing an illegal stunt under the Niagara Parks Act.<ref>{{cite web| url=http://www.niagarafrontier.com/devil_frame.html#DIBERNARDI |title=Niagara Falls Daredevils: a history |publisher=Niagarafrontier.com |access-date=August 21, 2011}}</ref>[[File:Charles Stephens barrel 1920.jpg|thumb|Charles Stephens in his barrel, prior to his fatal July 1920 attempt]]

On June 5, 1990, Jesse Sharp, a whitewater canoeist from Tennessee paddled over the falls in a closed deck canoe. He chose not to wear a helmet to make his face more visible for photographs of the event. He also did not wear a life vest because he believed it would hinder his escape from the hydraulics at the base of the falls. His boat flushed out of the falls, but his body was never found.<ref>{{cite web|last1=Neill|first1=Michael|title=Tennessee Outdoorsman Jessie Sharp Challenged Niagara's Mighty Falls in a Tiny Canoe—and Lost – Vol. 33 No. 25|url=http://people.com/archive/tennessee-outdoorsman-jessie-sharp-challenged-niagaras-mighty-falls-in-a-tiny-canoe-and-lost-vol-33-no-25/|website=PEOPLE.com|access-date=August 20, 2017|date=June 25, 1990}}</ref> On September 27, 1993, John "David" Munday, of [[Caistor Centre, Ontario]], completed his second journey over the falls.<ref name="DaveMunday">{{cite web |url=http://www.infoniagara.com/other/daredevils/dave.html |title=Info Niagara Dave Munday |access-date=February 8, 2008 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20071224025125/http://www.infoniagara.com/other/daredevils/dave.html| archive-date = December 24, 2007}}</ref> On October 1, 1995, Robert Douglas "Firecracker" Overacker went over the falls on a [[Jet Ski]] to raise awareness for the homeless. His rocket-propelled parachute failed to open and he plunged to his death. Overacker's body was recovered before he was pronounced dead at Niagara General Hospital.<ref name="DaveMunday2">{{cite web|url=http://www.viralnova.com/robert-overacker/|title=Info Robert Overacker|access-date=February 8, 2008|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071224025125/http://www.infoniagara.com/other/daredevils/dave.html|archive-date=December 24, 2007}}</ref>

Kirk Jones of [[Canton, Michigan]], became the first known person to survive a plunge over Horseshoe Falls without a [[flotation device]] on October 20, 2003. According to some reports, Jones had attempted to commit [[suicide]],<ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.niagarafallsreview.ca/2017/06/16/kirk-jones-could-not-survive-falls-a-second-time |title=Kirk Jones could not survive Falls a second time |last=Law |first=John |work=[[Niagara Falls Review]] |date=June 16, 2017 |access-date=June 16, 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170616191616/http://www.niagarafallsreview.ca/2017/06/16/kirk-jones-could-not-survive-falls-a-second-time |archive-date=June 16, 2017 |url-status=dead }}</ref> but he survived the fall with only battered ribs, scrapes, and bruises.<ref name="KirtJones">{{cite news |url=http://www.cnn.com/2003/WORLD/americas/10/22/niagara.falls.survivor.ap/ |title=Niagara Falls survivor: Stunt was 'impulsive' |access-date=February 8, 2008 |date= October 22, 2003|work= CNN| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20080112032709/http://www.cnn.com/2003/WORLD/americas/10/22/niagara.falls.survivor.ap/| archive-date = January 12, 2008}}</ref><ref>{{cite web| url=http://www.thesurvivorsclub.org/extreme/man-survives-plunge-over-niagara-falls| title=thesurvivorsclub.org| access-date=May 21, 2012| archive-date=January 2, 2021| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210102155946/https://thesurvivorsclub.org/extreme/man-survives-plunge-over-niagara-falls| url-status=dead}}</ref> Jones tried going over the falls again in 2017, using a large inflatable ball, but died in the process.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.infoniagara.com/niagaradaredevils/Kirkjones.aspx|title=Kirk Jones|date=July 11, 2007|publisher=Info Niagara|access-date=November 4, 2019}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.ctvnews.ca/world/man-dies-after-going-over-niagara-falls-inside-inflatable-ball-1.3461987 |title=Man dies after going over Niagara Falls inside inflatable ball |publisher=[[CTV News]] |agency=[[The Associated Press]] |date=June 16, 2017 |access-date=June 16, 2017}}</ref> Later reports revealed that Jones had arranged for a friend to shoot video clips of his stunt.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/national/few-survive-plunging-over-niagara-falls/article599996/ |title=Few survive plunging over Niagara Falls |date=April 29, 2018 |work=Globe and Mail |access-date=November 4, 2019 }}</ref>

On March 11, 2009, a man survived an unprotected trip over Horseshoe Falls. When rescued from the river he suffered from severe [[hypothermia]] and a large wound to his head. His identity was never released. Eyewitnesses reported seeing the man intentionally enter the water.<ref name="CBCSecondSurvivor">{{cite news| url=https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/man-survives-plunge-into-niagara-falls-1.782130?ref=rss |title=Man survives plunge into Niagara Falls |publisher= [[CBC News]] |date=March 11, 2009 |access-date=March 25, 2009}}</ref><ref name="SecondSurvivor">{{cite news | url=http://www.cnn.com/2009/WORLD/americas/03/11/niagara.plunge | title=Man survives plunge over Niagara Falls | access-date=March 11, 2009 | date=March 11, 2009 | work=CNN | archive-date=September 15, 2020 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200915045333/http://www.cnn.com/2009/WORLD/americas/03/11/niagara.plunge/ | url-status=dead }}</ref> On May 21, 2012, an unidentified man became the fourth person to survive an unprotected trip over Horseshoe Falls. Eyewitness reports show he "deliberately jumped" into the Niagara River after climbing over a railing.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/national/man-survives-plunge-over-niagara-falls-only-3rd-person-without-safety-device-to-survive/2012/05/21/gIQAMnR4fU_story.html|title=Man survives plunge over Niagara Falls; only 3rd person without safety device to survive|newspaper=[[The Washington Post]] }}{{dead link|date=June 2021|bot=medic}}{{cbignore|bot=medic}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |author=Staff |title=Man Survives Plunge over Horseshoe Falls |url=http://niagara-gazette.com/local/x1968166742/Man-survives-plunge-over-Horseshoe-Falls |work=[[Niagara Gazette]] |date=May 21, 2012 |access-date=May 25, 2012 }}</ref> On July 8, 2019, at roughly 4 am, officers responded to a report of a person in crisis at the brink of the Canadian side of the falls. Once officers got to the scene, the man climbed the retaining wall, jumped into the river and went over Horseshoe Falls. Authorities subsequently began to search the lower Niagara River basin, where the man was found alive but injured sitting on the rocks at the water's edge.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.wivb.com/news/man-goes-over-horseshoe-falls-survives-with-non-life-threatening-injuries/|title=Man goes over Horseshoe Falls, survives with non-life threatening injuries|date=July 8, 2019|website=WIVB|access-date=July 10, 2019|archive-date=November 26, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201126012308/https://www.wivb.com/news/man-goes-over-horseshoe-falls-survives-with-non-life-threatening-injuries/|url-status=dead}}</ref>

===Tightrope walkers===

[[File:Charles.Blondin.jpg|thumb|upright=0.6|[[Blondin]] carrying his manager, Harry Colcord, on a tightrope<ref>{{cite web| url=http://blogs.smithsonianmag.com/history/2011/10/the-daredevil-of-niagara-falls/| title=History, Travel, Arts, Science, People, Places – Smithsonian| work=smithsonianmag.com| access-date=June 20, 2012| archive-date=June 25, 2012| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120625102215/http://blogs.smithsonianmag.com/history/2011/10/the-daredevil-of-niagara-falls| url-status=dead}}</ref>]]

[[Tightrope walker]]s drew huge crowds to witness their exploits. Their wires ran across the gorge, near the current Rainbow Bridge, not over the waterfall. [[Charles Blondin|Jean François "Blondin" Gravelet]] was the first to cross Niagara Gorge on June 30, 1859, and did so again eight times that year. His most difficult crossing occurred on August 14, when he carried his manager, Harry Colcord, on his back.<ref>{{cite web|date=July 11, 2007|title=The Great Blondin|url=https://www.niagarafallsinfo.com/niagara-falls-history/niagara-falls-tourism-history/daredevils-of-niagara-falls/the-great-blondin/|access-date=November 4, 2019|publisher=Info Niagara}}</ref> His final crossing, on September 8, 1860, was witnessed by the [[Edward VII|Prince of Wales]].<ref name="Neville2">Anne Neville, [http://www.buffalonews.com/topics/niagara-falls-wire-walk/article896230.ece "Daredevils who wire-walked before Wallenda"], buffalonews.com</ref><ref>{{cite web|date=February 27, 2006|title=Blondin broadsheet – Details|url=http://www.nflibrary.ca/nfplindex/show.asp?id=89311&b=1|access-date=August 21, 2011|publisher=Nflibrary.ca}}</ref> Author Ginger Strand argues that these performances may have had symbolic meanings at the time relating to slavery and abolition.<ref>Strand, pp. 122-129</ref>

[[Maria Spelterini]], a 23-year-old Italian was the first and only woman to cross the Niagara River gorge; she did so on a tightrope on July 8, 1876. She repeated the stunt several times during the same month. During one crossing she was blindfolded and during another, her ankles and wrists were handcuffed. On July 12, she crossed wearing peach baskets strapped to her feet.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.niagarafallsinfo.com/niagara-falls-history/niagara-falls-tourism-history/daredevils-of-niagara-falls/maria-spelterini/ |title=The ultimate guide to enjoying Niagara Falls |date=July 11, 2007 |publisher=Info Niagara |access-date=November 4, 2019 }}</ref>

Among the many competitors was Ontario's [[William Leonard Hunt|William Hunt]], who billed himself as "The Great Farini"; his first crossing was in 1860. Farini competed with Blondin in performing outrageous stunts over the gorge.<ref name="Niagarafrontier.com">{{cite web| url=http://www.niagarafrontier.com/devil_frame.html#FARINI |title=Niagara Falls Daredevils: a history |publisher=Niagarafrontier.com |access-date=August 21, 2011}}</ref> On August 8, 1864, however, an attempt failed and he needed to be rescued.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.niagarafallsinfo.com/niagara-falls-history/niagara-falls-tourism-history/daredevils-of-niagara-falls/the-great-farini/ |title=The Great Farini |date=July 11, 2007 |publisher=Info Niagara |access-date=November 4, 2019 }}</ref>

On June 15, 2012, high wire artist [[Nik Wallenda]] became the first person to walk across the falls area in 116 years, after receiving special permission from both governments.<ref>{{cite news| url=https://www.nytimes.com/2012/06/16/nyregion/wallendas-niagara-falls-tightrope-walk-stirs-excitement.html |title=Niagara Falls Fills with Excitement in Wait of Tightrope Walk |newspaper=The New York Times |date=June 15, 2012 |first1=Danny |last1=Hakim |first2=Liz |last2=Leyden}}</ref> The full length of his tightrope was {{convert|1800|ft|m|order=flip}}.<ref>[https://www.theguardian.com/world/2012/jun/16/nik-wallenda-niagara-tightrope-succeeds?newsfeed=true Niagara Falls tightrope walk: Nik Wallenda succeeds]. guardian.co.uk. June 16, 2012. Retrieved June 16, 2012.</ref> Wallenda crossed near the brink of Horseshoe Falls, unlike walkers who had crossed farther downstream. According to Wallenda, it was the longest unsupported tightrope walk in history.<ref>{{cite news| title=Wallenda's plan for the falls| author=Michael Woods| author2=Liam Casey| date=June 10, 2012| work=[[Toronto Star]] |publisher=NiagaraThisWeek.com| url=http://www.niagarathisweek.com/news/article/1371877--wallenda-s-plan-for-the-falls| access-date=June 20, 2012}}</ref> He carried his passport on the trip and was required to present it upon arrival on the Canadian side of the falls.<ref name="CTV">{{cite news |title= Nik Wallenda makes historic Niagara Falls walk |author= Emily Senger |publisher=CTV News|date=June 16, 2012 |url=https://www.ctvnews.ca/canada/nik-wallenda-makes-historic-niagara-falls-walk-1.841429 |access-date=June 16, 2012}}</ref>