On June 30, 1859, the Great Blondin (a Frenchman named Jean-Francois Gravelet) became the first daredevil to walk across Niagara Falls on a tightrope. Using only a balancing pole, Blondin crossed on a cable 1100 feet long and about 2 inches in diameter. Some 5,000 spectators were there to see if he would succeed or fail. For Blondin, it was a first in a series of “ascensions” over the Falls. Each time he varied the challenge.
