Daredevils

The first to go over the falls in a barrel was a 63 year old schoolteacher, named Annie Taylor, on October 24, 1901. She survived. Annie is quoted as saying " No one ought ever do that again."

The second was Bobby Leach, in a steel barrel. He's survived but spent six months in hospital
after his stunt.

Charles Stephens tried to go over in a barrel on July 11, 1920. He died.

Jean Lussier used a rubber ball filled with rubber tubes on July 4, 1928. He survived.

George Stathakis tried in a barrel on July 4, 1930. He died.

William "Red" Hill Jr. Went over the falls in, what he called," A Thing" . It was 13 inner tubes held together by fishnet. He died.

William Fitzgerald went over the falls in a 3 m(10ft) rubber ball on July 15, 1961. He survived, but was the first to be fined.

Karel Soucek was the first Canadian to go over the Falls on July 3, 1984. He used a steel barrel, insulated with liquid foam. He survived and was fined.

Steven Trotter went over the falls in 2 plastic pickle barrels, surrounded by innertubes, on Aug.18, 1985. He survived and was fined.

John "David" Munday made it over the falls on Oct.5, 1985, in a steel barrel. He tried it again on July 15, 1990, but got stuck at the brink of the falls and had to be rescued. (Of coarse he was fined both times.)

Peter DeBernardi and Geoffrey Petkovich went over the falls in the same barrel on Sept. 27, 1989.
They survived and were fined.

Jessie W. Sharp went over in a Kayak, as a stunt on June 5, 1990, and died.

John "David" Munday, again on Sept 26, 1993 recreated his stunt in a steel barrel, complete with getting a fine.

Steven Trotter went again, this time with Lori Martin in hot water tanks that were welded together, on June 18, 1995. They survived and were fined.

Robert Overacker went over the falls on a jet ski as a stunt on Oct. 1, 1995. He died.

Kirk Jones tried to commit suicide on Oct.21, 2003. He lived, and to add to his troubles, he was jailed and fined. He was the second person to go over that falls without any protection and live. The first is in the story below.

On July 9, 1960, Jim Honeycott took two of his coworkers children for a ride in his small boat on the upper portion of the Niagara River. The boat capsized, and the three of them were washed downstream. 17 year old Deanne Woodward and 10 year old Roger Woodward were wearing life vests, but Jim was not. The current pulled Deanne close to the shore. John R Hays and John Quattrochi, both from New Jersey, jumped over the guardrail and helped Deanne ashore. Both Roger and Jim were swept over the Falls. Roger surfaced, and passengers on the Maid of the Mist spotted him. He was trown a life raft and pulled aboard, unhurt. Roger was the first person to go over the Falls without any protection and survived. Jim was not so lucky, his body was found four days later.
The photo is of Roger being pulled onto the Maid of the Mist.

Jean Francois Grauelet "The Great Blondin" is famous for making several trips over Niagara Falls on a tightrope. He even crossed once carrying his managar on his back. Blondin also did the trip with his wife on his back. (Must have been a very trusting woman.) My favorite of his stunts was to pull a grill out onto the center of the tightrope, and cook breakfast, and lower it down to the passengers on the Maid of the Mist.

I just found out that the first woman to tightrope over the Falls was Maria Spelterina in 1876.