- For a century and a half, Niagara Falls have compelled people to do dangerous things.
- Performers crossed the gorge on tightropes, pulling off stunts like carrying people on their shoulders.
- Some decided to ride down the falls in barrels and rubber balls, but not everyone survived the ride.
Over the last century and a half, a select few have dared cross and later ride down Niagara Falls.
At least six have died from trying to ride the falls. But people kept going for it.
Michael Clarkson, who wrote a book about Daredevilry and the falls called “The Age Of Daredevils,” told WBUR that the falls seem “to draw people. It seems to pull them.”
One daredevil named William Fitzgerald told Clarkson he visited the falls when he was 5 years old, and the roar ended up haunting him for years.
“That damn water wouldn’t shut up,” he told Clarkson. “The raw power, that unleashed power.”
Fitzgerald isn’t the only person who attempted to brave the white rapids of the falls. He’s among nearly two dozen others who faced it — all of whom were met with varying degrees of success.