Are daredevils born that way? Or do they decide one day that from that moment on, they will risk their life doing the weirdest and most unexpected stuff? Climbing high buildings, tightrope walking, and the occasional base jump, these guys and gals stop at nothing to prove they have what it takes to be entered in the craziest daredevil stunts ever.
1. David Blaine’s frozen-in-time gig (November 27, 2000)
Illusionist David Blaine was encased in a block of ice for exactly 63 hours, 42 minutes, and 15 seconds. The endurance stunt tested not only his magical skills but also his ability to withstand bone-chilling temperatures. Add to this sleep deprivation along with hunger and you have an awful scenario. Don’t try this at home!
2. Rossa Matilda Richter, the first human cannonball (April 10, 1877)
Rosa pioneered what would next be a daredevil go-to stunt for years and years to come. A cannon invented by William Leonard Hunt, will catapult Rossa, stage name “Zazel.” What makes this a super crazy scheme is her age, she was 17 at the time.
3. The Great Blondin crosses Niagara Falls on a tightrope (June 30, 1859)
For a touch of vintage vertigo, we have French tightrope walker Charles Blondin who astounded crowds by crossing Niagara Falls on a tightrope. He performed various feats, including carrying a stove and even cooking an omelet mid-walk!!!
4. Jeb Corliss in a wingsuit through Heaven’s Gate (January 20, 2012)
Corliss, a skilled wingsuit pilot, flew through a narrow crevice in the Tianmen Mountain in China known as “Heaven’s Gate.” The precision and daring required for this stunt kept people with their jaws clenched, hoping he makes it. And he did it!
5. Harry Houdini’s underwater coffin escape (1912)
Houdini, escape artist extraordinaire, performed a stunt where he was handcuffed, sealed in a coffin, and submerged in the East River. With a flair for the dramatic, he emerged unscathed after a tense 91 minutes.
6. Andy Lewis’ slackline between two hot air balloons (June 18, 2015)
Slackliner Andy Lewis went for a balloon balancing act. He set up a line between two hot air balloons floating high above the Arizona desert. Walking a thin line at those heights takes nerves of steel and a serious sense of balance. And it seems he has both.
7. Nellie Bly’s 72-day trip around the world (November 14, 1889 – January 25, 1890)
Journalist Nellie Bly, a globetrotting pioneer, circled the globe in a record-breaking 72 days, following in the fictional footsteps of Jules Verne’s “Around the World in Eighty Days.” Her whirlwind journey set a benchmark for adventurous reporting and made for one cool book.
8. Alain Robert climbs Burj Khalifa (March 28, 2011)
The ‘French Spider-Man’ climbed the Burj Khalifa in Dubai, the world’s tallest building. Using a harness, he climbed the titanic structure in just over six hours.
9. Erik Roner’s lawn chair balloon flight (September 25, 2015)
The poster boy for up, up, and outrageous challenges. Professional skier and BASE jumper Erik Roner attached 90 helium balloons to a lawn chair and soared into the sky. It was a surreal, gravity-defying stunt that was viral at the time.
10. Gary Connery’s wingsuit landing without a parachute (May 23, 2012)
Gary Connery, a stuntman, leaped from a helicopter wearing a wingsuit and successfully landed without deploying a parachute. He aimed for a specially designed runway of cardboard boxes, proving that sometimes thinking outside the parachute pays off.
11. Taig Khris’ rollerblade jump off the Eiffel Tower (July 2008)
French athlete Taig Khris rolled the dice (literally) when he jumped off the first deck of the Eiffel Tower on rollerblades. The stunt involved a 41 feet (12.5 meters) free fall before landing on a massive ramp. A massive jump that also landed him with a new record.
12. Nik Wallenda’s Chicago skywire walk (November 2, 2014)
This guy braved the windy cityscape of Chicago when he walked on a tightrope between two skyscrapers, blindfolded, no less. The height, the wind, and the blindfold made this stunt a high-wire act like no other so far.
13. Evel Knievel’s Caesars Palace fountain jump (January 1, 1968)
The OG daredevil, Evel Knievel, attempted to jump the fountains at Caesars Palace in Las Vegas on a motorcycle. While the landing wasn’t smooth (he crashed and suffered multiple fractures), the audacity of the attempt remains legendary.
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14. Alan Eustace’s stratospheric jump (October 24, 2014)
Not your usual daredevil guy, Eustace was a Google executive, of all jobs. He took a specially-designed helium balloon to the stratosphere, ascending to 135,908 feet. He then free-fell back to Earth, breaking Felix Baumgartner’s previous record for the highest parachute jump.
15. Erendira Vazquez Wallenda’s hanging by her teeth over Niagara Falls (Jun 15, 2017)
How? Well, she dangled by her teeth while in a helicopter, 300-feet above Niagara Falls. The weather conditions weren’t up to par so she kept asking the pilot to go higher to avoid strong gusts of wind. And yes, she is related to the guy above who walked blindfolded on a tightrope, she’s his wife.
That’s all from us but as a bonus here’s a list of Evel Knievel’s career jumps. Enjoy!
