The daring & dauntless daredevils of Niagara Falls

It takes guts, but there isn’t always glory. Those who survived were faced with jail time and a hefty fine. Since 1901, sixteen people have attempted to conquer the mighty Niagara. Here are some of their stories...

Annie Taylor (Survived) Mrs. Annie Taylor, a 63-year-old schoolteacher, decided that a trip over Niagara Falls was her way to fame and fortune. On October 24, 1901, assistants trapped her (along with her cat, as seen in this photo) into a special harness in a barrel. A small boat towed the barrel out into the main stream of the Niagara River and the barrel was cast loose. The rapids first slammed it one way, then the other. Then came the drop and a bone-wrenching jar so violent that Mrs. Taylor was sure she hit rocks. Seventeen minutes after the plunge, the barrel had been tossed close enough to the Canadian shore to be hooked and dragged onto the rocks. Mrs. Taylor was dazed but triumphant, and being the first person to conquer the mighty Falls of Niagara, she found the fame she sought so desperately. But fortune was a bit more elusive. Twenty years after her brush with death at Niagara, she died destitute.

Bobby Leach posing for a promotional photo, July 25, 1911.

Bobby Leach (Survived) Bobby Leach, an Englishman, successfully made a trip in an allsteel barrel on July 25, 1911, and then spent 23 weeks in hospital recuperating from numerous fractures and other injuries. Fifteen years later, on a lecture tour in New Zealand, he slipped on an orange peel, broke his leg and died of complications from the injury.

Joseph Albert "Jean" Lussier (Survived) Jean Lussier, a native of Quebec, designed a six-foot rubber ball composed of 32 inner tubes and a double-wall steel frame. One of the biggest crowds on record saw the stunt on July 4, 1928. The ball took some hard knocks in the rapids but the skip over the Falls was perfect. About one hour after entering his ball, Lussier stepped ashore none the worse for wear. For many years he displayed his ball at Niagara Falls and sold small pieces of the inner tubes for souvenirs at 50 cents a piece.

Red Hill Jr. (Died) In the summer of 1951, Red Hill Jr. planned to go over the Falls in a flimsy contrivance he called the “Thing” which consisted of 13 inner tubes held together with fish net and canvas straps. On August 6, the “Thing” headed into the rapids with Hill in it. It was tossed into the air, upended, thrown from side to side and bounced off rocks. It was starting to disintegrate even before it reached the Falls. When the drop came, the “Thing” disappeared into churning water at the base of the Falls. Seconds later what was left floated into view. The following day, Hill’s battered body was taken from the river.

William “Red” Hill Jr and the “Thing” in which he went over the Horseshoe Falls to his death.

Karel Soucek (Survived) On July 2nd 1984, Karel Soucek challenged the great Horseshoe Falls in a homemade barrel. The specially designed barrel was made of lightweight metal and plastic. It was also equipped with enough counterweight in one end to ensure a feet-first plunge. Soucek spent $15,000 to prepare for his journey. He would become the first person to attempt the dangerous journey over the Falls in 23 years. He called himself the “Last of the Niagara Daredevils”.

Steven Trotter (Survived – Twice) On August 18, 1985, Trotter began his attempt from a location just upstream from the Horseshoe Falls. He survived the plunge uninjured. He became the youngest person to ever survive the stunt (age 22) and the first American in 25 years to go over the Falls in a barrel. He used two pickle barrels placed end-to end. The exterior was reinforced with layers of fiberglass, balsa wood for flotation, and covered with truck tire inner tubes for shock absorption. At 8:30 a.m., Trotter's 11-man crew launched his barrel into the Niagara River rapids, a quarter-mile from the brink of the Canadian Horseshoe Falls. Trotter went over the Falls and survived with minor scrapes. Trotter came back to Niagara on June 18, 1995 and became the first person to survive the stunt twice. This time he was accompanied by Lori Martin.

Peter DeBernardi and Jeff Petkovich (Both Survived) On September 28th 1989, Niagara locals, Peter DeBernardi and Jeff Petkovich made their journey. The barrel was launched two hundred feet from the brink of the Horseshoe Falls and only 25 seconds later, the bright yellow barrel with the inscription "Don’t Put Yourself on the Edge – Drugs Kill" went over the brink of the Falls. When recovered by the Maid of the Mist dock, both DeBernardi and Petkovich were uninjured. DeBernardi and Petkovich became the first two persons in a barrel to go over the Falls and the eleventh and twelfth persons to take the plunge.

Dave Munday (Foiled and Survived) On July 28th 1985, a truck carrying Munday’s barrel pulled up to the Canadian shoreline site approximately 4 km before the brink of the Falls. An aluminum and unbreakable plastic barrel measuring two metres wide by one metre long, with “To Challenge Niagara July 1985" inscribed on the side, was launched. Unfortunately, this launch was foiled by a police officer who witnessed the event. Undeterred, Munday returned on October 5th 1985, and attempted his second trip over Niagara Falls. The barrel went over the Horseshoe Falls within seconds. At the base, the barrel became trapped for 90 minutes before Munday was rescued. Dave Munday became the ninth person to survive the trip over the Falls. Munday received only minor abrasions. Munday was the first to have a video of himself as he used a video camera through a porthole. On July 16, 1990, Dave Munday had another foiled barrel ride over the Horseshoe Falls. On September 26th 1993, Dave Munday survived his second successful trip over the Horseshoe Falls. Munday was riding in a 660 pound altered diving bell that he had purchased from the Canadian Coast Guard. During his journey, Munday was knocked unconscious but only suffered minor bruises and cuts. The vehicle was recovered at the base of the Falls by the Maid of the Mist.