Over the Falls

Jean-François Gravelet, "The Great Blondin"

Across the gorge

French acrobat Blondin first crossed the Niagara gorge on a tightrope on June 30, 1859, on a rope about 1,100 feet long running from near Prospect Park to the Canadian side. He crossed many more times that summer and the next, drawing huge crowds.

Did you know? On August 17, 1859, he carried his manager, Harry Colcord, across the gorge on his back.

William Leonard Hunt, "The Great Farini"

Across the gorge

Performing as "Signor Farini," William Leonard Hunt set out to rival Blondin with his own tightrope walks across the gorge, starting in August 1860. He became known for the stunts he performed out on the rope.

Did you know? He carried a washing machine to the middle of the rope, hauled up river water in a pail, and washed handkerchiefs.

Maria Spelterini

Across the gorge

During the 1876 U.S. Centennial, 23-year-old Maria Spelterini became the first woman to cross the Niagara gorge on a tightrope. She crossed several times, adding a new challenge each time.

Did you know? She crossed with peach baskets strapped to her feet, and on other walks wore shackles.

Annie Edson Taylor, "Queen of the Mist"

Horseshoe Falls

On October 24, 1901, her 63rd birthday, the widowed schoolteacher became the first person to survive going over Niagara Falls in a barrel. She rode a padded oak barrel over the Horseshoe Falls and came out with only a small cut on her head. She hoped the stunt would make her rich, but she died poor in 1921.

Did you know? A few days earlier, the barrel was sent over the falls with a cat inside. The cat came out unharmed.

Bobby Leach

Horseshoe Falls

On July 25, 1911, English circus stuntman Bobby Leach went over the Horseshoe Falls in a steel barrel, the first man to survive the trip. He broke both kneecaps and his jaw, and spent months in the hospital.

Did you know? Years later, in New Zealand, he slipped on an orange peel and broke his leg. It was later amputated, and he died weeks afterward.

Charles G. Stephens

Horseshoe Falls

Charles Stephens, a barber from Bristol, England, went over the Horseshoe Falls in an oak barrel with an anvil strapped to his feet for ballast. The anvil broke through the bottom of the barrel. He was the first person to die going over the falls in a barrel.

Jean Lussier

Horseshoe Falls

On July 4, 1928, Jean Lussier went over the Horseshoe Falls inside a giant rubber ball he designed himself, built around a steel frame and lined with inner tubes. He came out with only minor injuries.

Did you know? Afterward he sold little pieces of the ball's rubber to tourists as souvenirs.

George L. Stathakis

Horseshoe Falls

George Stathakis, a Buffalo chef, went over the Horseshoe Falls in a heavy wood-and-steel barrel. It was trapped behind the curtain of falling water for many hours, and he ran out of air before it could be recovered.

Did you know? His pet turtle, "Sonny Boy," rode along and survived.

William "Red" Hill Jr.

Horseshoe Falls

Red Hill Jr., son of the famous river rescuer Red Hill Sr., went over the Horseshoe Falls in "The Thing," a contraption of inner tubes and netting. It broke apart, and he did not survive. His death led Canada and New York to ban stunting at the falls.

Roger Woodward, the "Miracle at Niagara"

Horseshoe Falls

Not a stunt: on July 9, 1960, seven-year-old Roger Woodward was swept over the Horseshoe Falls after a small pleasure boat capsized in the upper river. Wearing a life jacket, he was pulled from the water below by the crew of the Maid of the Mist. Two tourists grabbed his 17-year-old sister Deanne just above the brink.

Nathan Boya (William Fitzgerald)

Horseshoe Falls

Nathan Boya, whose real name was William Fitzgerald, went over the Horseshoe Falls in a six-foot rubber ball and survived with cuts and bruises. He was the first African American to survive the falls.

Did you know? He was fined $113.

The American Falls go dry

American Falls

In June 1969, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers built a cofferdam of about 28,000 tons of rock across the river, turning off the American Falls so engineers could study erosion and the rock pile at the base. The water came back on November 25, 1969.

Did you know? Up to 100,000 people came in the first week alone to see the falls run dry.

Karel Soucek

Horseshoe Falls

Karel Soucek, a professional stuntman from Hamilton, Ontario, went over the Horseshoe Falls in a plastic barrel and got out with cuts and bruises, then was charged for performing an illegal stunt. He died the next year after a barrel drop into a water tank at the Houston Astrodome.

Did you know? His barrel read "The Last of the Great Daredevils."

Steve Trotter

Horseshoe Falls

Steve Trotter, 22, went over the Horseshoe Falls in a homemade barrel and walked away with a scratch. He was charged under the Niagara Parks Act.

Did you know? His alarm clock failed, so he launched just after the day's river flow was increased. A park official said the extra water likely kept him off the rocks.

David Munday

Horseshoe Falls

On October 5, 1985, David Munday of Ontario went over the Horseshoe Falls in a barrel and survived, after police had stopped an earlier attempt that summer. In 1993 he did it again, the first person to survive the falls twice.

Peter DeBernardi & Jeffrey Petkovich

Horseshoe Falls

The first pair to go over together, in a homemade metal barrel. Neither was seriously hurt, and both were issued summonses for an illegal stunt.

Did you know? They said the stunt was an anti-drug message for young people.

Jessie Sharp

Horseshoe Falls

Jessie Sharp, 28, of Tennessee, tried to paddle a kayak over the Horseshoe Falls, the first kayak attempt at the falls. His kayak was found below, but he was never found.

David Munday (second trip)

Horseshoe Falls

David Munday went over the Horseshoe Falls a second time and survived, the first person ever to survive the falls twice.

Steve Trotter & Lori Martin

Horseshoe Falls

The first man-and-woman team to go over together. Trotter became the second person to survive the falls twice. Both had minor injuries and were charged under the Niagara Parks Act.

Did you know? Their barrel got stuck on the rocks at the base, and it took rescuers about an hour to get them out.

Robert Overacker

Horseshoe Falls

Stuntman Robert Overacker rode a jet ski over the Horseshoe Falls, planning to float away under a rocket-launched parachute. The parachute wasn't attached to him. His jet ski carried a sign reading "Save The Homeless."

Nik Wallenda

Over the Horseshoe Falls

On June 15, 2012, Nik Wallenda walked a high wire from Goat Island, New York, to Table Rock, Ontario. He was the first person ever to walk a wire directly over the Horseshoe Falls, and the first to cross the gorge on a wire in more than 100 years. The TV network required him to wear a safety tether.

Did you know? It took a special New York law and a one-time approval from the Niagara Parks Commission.