Have a question? Need assistance? Use our online form to ask a librarian for help.
Chat with a librarian, Monday through Friday, 12-2 pm Eastern Time (except Federal Holidays).
Chronicling America is a searchable digital collection of historic newspaper pages through 1963 sponsored jointly by the National Endowment for the Humanities and the Library of Congress.
Follow @ChronAmLOC External and subscribe to email alerts and RSS feeds.
Also, see the Directory of U.S. Newspapers in American Libraries, a searchable index to newspapers published in the United States since 1690, which helps researchers identify what titles exist for a specific place and time, and how to access them.
Adventurers seeking thrills and fame perform death defying stunts over the majestic rushing waters of the Niagara River. These daredevils bravely leap, tightrope, and hurl themselves in homemade contraptions over the raging falls for the chance to be "the one who survived." But many do not live to tell the tale. Read more about it!
The information in this guide focuses on primary source materials found in the digitized historic newspapers from the digital collection Chronicling America.
The timeline below highlights important dates related to this topic and a section of this guide provides some suggested search strategies for further research in the collection.
October 27, 1829 | Sam Patch dives headfirst into the churning waters of the Niagara River from a platform over 85 feet high. |
June 30, 1859 | The Great Blondin crosses the Niagara River by tightrope. |
August 25, 1873 | Hailed as the next "Great Blondin," tightrope walker Henry Bellini crosses the Niagara River then leaps into the swirling waters below. |
July 11, 1886 | Carlisle Graham becomes first to go over the falls in a homemade barrel. |
July 10, 1900 | Peter "Bowser" Nissen journeys over the falls in a specially crafted boat with a cockpit. |
October 24, 1901 | Annie Taylor becomes the first woman to challenge the falls in a barrel. |
June 28, 1911 | Lincoln Beachy flies first airplane over the falls and down within 19 ft. of the waters below. |
July 25, 1911 | Circus stuntman Bobby Leach first parachutes from a bridge and then makes a trip over the falls in a barrel. |
July 11, 1920 | Charles G. Stephens goes over the falls in a barrel strapped to an anvil. |
July 4, 1928 | Jean Lussier rides over the falls in a big rubber ball. |
May 30, 1930 | William "Red" Hill, Sr. makes second barrel trip over the falls before a crowd of thousands. |
July 5, 1930 | Chef George L. Stathakis goes over the falls with pet turtle "Sonny Boy" in 2,000 lb. barrel. |
July 8, 1945 | William "Red" Hill, Jr. battles the falls in a red barrel entirely made of steel. |