A Frenchman cooked an omelette on a tightrope above Niagara Falls
In 1859 legendary circus performer Blondin tight roped a quarter of a mile across the Niagara Falls. But that’s not all! He did it 17 times, each time upping the stakes by making it harder for himself.
- He made the 20 minute crossing on stilts, blindfolded carrying a wheelbarrow.
- Then he carried a 50lb stove and cooked and ate an omelette high above the falls.
- He even took a bellows camera and tripod and took a photo of the thousands of cheering spectators from the middle.
- He nearly fell off when carrying his rather large cigar-smoking manager across on his back, two guy ropes snapped and the wire rocked precariously.
New York Times reported it as “a reckless and aimless exposure of life” and condemned the “thoughtless people” who enjoyed “looking at a fellow creature in deadly peril.” Mark Twain dismissed Blondin as “that adventurous ass.”
https://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/the-daredevil-of-niagara-falls-110492884/
