Top 10 Greatest Daredevils Of All Time
#10: Donald Campbell
Donald Campbell is one of the all-time great record breakers. Throughout the 1950s and 60s, Campbell broke eight speed records, and in 1964, he broke both the land and water records. This accomplishment makes Campbell the only person in history to break both in the same year. In July 1964, Campbell set a new land speed record by traveling at 403.1 mph, and later that year set the water record by traveling 276.3 mph. However, Campbell’s ambition got the better of him. On January 4, 1967, Campbell crashed while attempting to set another water speed record. His body wasn’t recovered until 2001.
#9: Reinhold Messner
This Italian mountaineer has traveled the world and accomplished numerous incredible feats, making him arguably the greatest explorer and adventurer in modern history. In 1986, he became the first person in history to climb all the world’s “Eight-thousanders” - the 14 mountains over 8,000 meters tall. And he did them all without supplemental oxygen. In 1978 he and Peter Habeler became the first people to climb Everest without supplemental oxygen, a feat previously thought impossible. He’s also crossed Antarctica only using skis, and in 2004, he trekked over 1,000 miles through the Gobi Desert. We’re tired just talking about him.
#8: Charles Blondin
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You just have to tip your hat to a man like Charles Blondin. An extremely popular tightrope walker, Blondin's name has become synonymous with the practice. In 1859, he crossed 160 feet above the Niagara Gorge on a 1,100-foot-long tightrope. He’d later revisit this stunt and make it more theatrical. Some examples include trundling a wheelbarrow, carrying his manager on his back, and cooking an omelet while crossing. He then traveled to Britain and Ireland and became a popular attraction due to his high-wire stunts, which included doing somersaults on stilts 70 feet above the ground.
#7: Annie Edson Taylor
Annie Edson Taylor wasn’t an athlete or daredevil by day, but a regular music and dance teacher. However, work was hard to come by, so, like any struggling individual, she decided to go over Niagara Falls in a barrel for prosperity. Taylor went over the Falls on October 24, 1901. She survived the stunt and became the first person to successfully go over the Falls in a barrel. Unfortunately, she didn’t earn much money from the stunt, and the money she did earn went towards private investigators hired to find her manager, who ran off with the famous barrel.
#6: Jeb Corliss
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Jeb Corliss is a world-famous skydiver and BASE jumper who has conquered many of the world’s most incredible locations. In 1999, when Corliss was 23, he almost died BASE jumping in South Africa when his parachute malfunctioned and he flew into a waterfall. Since that time, he has been involved in numerous incredible feats, including gliding down the Matterhorn, flying through the famous Tianmen Cave, and flying through an extremely narrow crack in China’s Mount Jianglang. His videos are incredible, and they make you wonder why anyone would ever do something like that in the first place. And that’s the sign of a great daredevil.
#5: Joseph Kittinger
Joseph Kittinger was an Air Force colonel who was part of Project Manhigh, a suitably-titled military project that sent men to the stratosphere in balloons. In 1957, Kittinger set a balloon altitude record by reaching 96,760 feet. Kittinger then went on to lead Project Excelsior, a series of parachute jumps from the stratosphere meant to research the effects of high-altitude bailouts. On August 16, 1960, he set the record for highest parachute jump, at 102,800 feet and falling for over four minutes at speeds of 614 mph. In 2012, Kittinger served as capsule communicator for Felix Baumgartner when Baumgartner broke his 52-year record.
#4: Philippe Petit
One of the world’s most famous high wire performers, Philippe Petit is perhaps best known for his famous walk between the Twin Towers of New York’s World Trade Center. On the morning of August 7, 1974, Petit walked between the towers on a cable a quarter mile above the ground. He performed eight passes in total, conducting various stunts much to the annoyance of the police. However, the event earned him acclaim from both the media and the general population, while the charges against him were dropped in exchange for performing a free show for children in Central Park.
#3: Alain Robert
Better known as The French Spider-Man and The Human Spider, Robert is well-known throughout the world for free climbing numerous skyscrapers without any helpful equipment aside from chalk and climbing shoes. Robert has climbed many of the world’s most notable and tallest structures, including the Willis Tower in Chicago, the Petronas Tower in Malaysia, Taipei 101 in China, and even the 2,700-foot tall Burj Khalifa in Dubai. If you’re wondering how this can be legal, well... it’s not. Robert has been arrested on numerous occasions for his stunts, although he has recently obtained sponsorships from many notable companies.
#2: Harry Houdini
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Houdini was well-known as an illusionist, but he was also popular throughout the world as an escape artist. In 1908, Houdini introduced his popular Milk Can Escape that saw him escaping from handcuffs while inside a sealed milk can full of water. When imitators cloned the act, Houdini introduced the Chinese water torture cell and his famous suspended straightjacket escape, which saw him trying to escape from a straightjacket while suspended high in the air. In 1915, Houdini almost died after being buried alive six feet deep without a casket. He was a master performer, and his stunts are still incredible over a century later. Before we unveil our top pick, here are some honorable mentions: Chuck Yeager Felix Baumgartner Serge Shakuto Travis Pastrana Maria Spelterini
#1: Evel Knievel
A renowned stunt performer and motorcycle jumper who attempted more than 75 massive motorcycle jumps between 1965 and 1980, Evel Knievel was undoubtedly the world's greatest daredevil. Perhaps his most famous stunt is when he attempted to make the 140 foot jump over the fountains at Caesars Palace, Las Vegas. Other notable stunts include jumping 14 Greyhound buses at Kings Island and traversing three-quarters of a mile across Idaho’s Snake River Canyon in a steam-powered rocket. Meanwhile, his son Robbie would later succeed in the Caesars Palace stunt and also jumping 228 feet over a portion of the Grand Canyon.
