“Niagara Falls has always invited people to stand at the edge of awe. History reminds us that there is a profound difference between respecting nature’s power and believing, for even a moment, that we can master it.” – MJ Martin
Niagara Falls has attracted daredevils for more than a century, but its history also contains remarkable accidents and tragedies. Most deliberate plunges have involved the Horseshoe Falls on the Canadian side, rather than the American Falls. The Horseshoe Falls has a vertical drop of roughly 50 metres and carries an enormous volume of water, making survival extraordinarily unlikely without some form of protection.
Here are the principal historical cases:
- 1901, Annie Edson Taylor: On October 24, her 63rd birthday, the American schoolteacher entered a specially constructed oak-and-iron barrel and deliberately went over the Horseshoe Falls. She survived with relatively minor injuries and became the first person known to intentionally go over Niagara Falls in a barrel and survive. She hoped the stunt would bring financial security, but the fortune she expected never materialized. (Guinness World Records)
- 1911, Bobby Leach: The British circus performer became the first man to survive the plunge. He travelled over Horseshoe Falls inside a steel barrel. Unlike Taylor, Leach was badly injured, suffering two broken kneecaps and a fractured jaw. (Niagara Falls Info)
- 1920, Charles Stephens: Known as the “Demon Barber of Bristol,” Stephens attempted the stunt in a wooden barrel. An anvil used as ballast was strapped to his feet. When the barrel struck below the Falls, the ballast tore through the bottom. Stephens was killed, becoming the first barrel daredevil to die attempting the plunge. (Niagara Falls Info)
- 1928, Jean Lussier: Lussier abandoned the traditional barrel and constructed a six-foot rubber-and-steel sphere cushioned by inner tubes. He went over Horseshoe Falls on July 4 and survived with relatively minor injuries. (Niagara Falls Info)
- 1930, George Stathakis: Stathakis constructed an extremely strong barrel and successfully survived the actual descent. Tragically, the barrel became trapped behind the Falls for approximately 22 hours. His air supply was inadequate, and he died from suffocation before rescuers could reach him. His pet turtle, which accompanied him, survived. (Niagara Falls Info)
- 1951, William “Red” Hill Jr.: Hill entered a homemade contraption constructed largely from truck inner tubes, canvas and netting, which he called “The Thing.” It disintegrated after going over Horseshoe Falls and Hill was killed. His death became a turning point. Ontario authorities subsequently moved aggressively to stop unauthorized Niagara stunts. (Info Niagara)
- 1960, Roger Woodward: This was entirely different. Seven-year-old Roger was not a daredevil. A boating accident upstream swept Roger, his 17-year-old sister Deanne and family friend James Honeycutt toward the Falls. Deanne was pulled from the river just before the brink. Honeycutt died. Roger, wearing a life jacket, went over Horseshoe Falls and somehow survived. The Maid of the Mist crew rescued him below the Falls. He suffered only minor injuries. It remains one of Niagara’s most extraordinary survival stories. (Niagara Falls Info)
- 1961, Nathan Boya, whose real name was William Fitzgerald: He went over Horseshoe Falls inside a large metal sphere called the Plunge-O-Sphere and survived. He was subsequently arrested and fined because the stunt was unauthorized. (Wikipedia)
- 1984, Karel Soucek: A Czech-born Canadian daredevil living in Hamilton went over Horseshoe Falls in a specially engineered barrel and survived. Tragically, he died the following year while attempting an unrelated barrel-drop stunt at the Houston Astrodome. (Wikipedia)
- 1985 and 1993, David Munday: The Ontario mechanic survived Horseshoe Falls in a barrel in 1985 and returned in 1993 in another capsule. He survived again, becoming the first person to survive going over Niagara Falls twice. (Info Niagara)
- 1985 and 1995, Steve Trotter: Trotter survived a 1985 descent in an improvised capsule. Ten years later he returned with Lori Martin. They went over together and survived, making the 1995 attempt the first successful two-person barrel descent of the Falls. (Info Niagara)
- 1990, Jesse Sharp: An experienced whitewater kayaker attempted to kayak over Horseshoe Falls without a helmet or life jacket. He disappeared after going over the brink and was killed. His body was never recovered. (Info Niagara)
- 1995, Robert Overacker: He rode a jet ski toward Horseshoe Falls intending to deploy a parachute after leaving the brink. The parachute system failed and he was killed. The stunt had reportedly been intended to draw attention to homelessness. (NiagaraTours.net)
- 2003, Kirk Jones: Jones entered the Niagara River near Table Rock and went over Horseshoe Falls without a barrel, life jacket or other protective apparatus. Astonishingly, he survived with relatively minor injuries. He later said the incident had been a suicide attempt, although people close to him disputed that characterization. Jones died in 2017 during another Niagara attempt, this time involving an inflatable ball. (Niagara Falls Info)
- 2011, Ayano Tokumasu: This is the Japanese woman with the umbrella you may have heard about. Tokumasu was a small 20-year-old Japanese international student studying English in Toronto. On August 14, 2011, she was sightseeing at Table Rock with a friend. She climbed over the safety railing to pose for a photograph and was holding an umbrella. As she attempted to climb back, she lost her footing and fell into the Niagara River approximately 20 metres upstream from Horseshoe Falls. She was swept over the brink. Her body was recovered four days later near Cave of the Winds on the American side. Police regarded it as a tragic accident, not a daredevil attempt. While legend says that the umbrella was caught in the wind and lifted her tiny 100 lb. body into the air, police speculate that it simply may have compromised her grip as she tried to climb back over the railing. (CityNews Toronto)
There have been many more deaths at Niagara Falls than the famous daredevil cases suggest, including accidents and suicides, many of which are deliberately not publicized in detail. The named daredevils represent only a small portion of the people who have actually gone over the Falls. (Wikipedia)
About the Author:
Michael Martin is the Vice President of Technology with Metercor Inc., a Smart Meter, IoT, and Smart City systems integrator based in Canada. He has more than 40 years of experience in systems design for applications that use broadband networks, optical fibre, wireless, and digital communications technologies. He is a business and technology consultant. He was a senior executive consultant for 15 years with IBM, where he worked in the GBS Global Center of Competency for Energy and Utilities and the GTS Global Center of Excellence for Energy and Utilities. He is a founding partner and President of MICAN Communications and before that was President of Comlink Systems Limited and Ensat Broadcast Services, Inc., both divisions of Cygnal Technologies Corporation (CYN: TSX).
Martin served on the Board of Directors for TeraGo Inc (TGO: TSX) and on the Board of Directors for Avante Logixx Inc. (XX: TSX.V). He has served as a Member, SCC ISO-IEC JTC 1/SC-41 – Internet of Things and related technologies, ISO – International Organization for Standardization, and as a member of the NIST SP 500-325 Fog Computing Conceptual Model, National Institute of Standards and Technology. He served on the Board of Governors of the University of Ontario Institute of Technology (UOIT) [now Ontario Tech University] and on the Board of Advisers of five different Colleges in Ontario – Centennial College, Humber College, George Brown College, Durham College, Ryerson Polytechnic University [now Toronto Metropolitan University]. For 16 years he served on the Board of the Society of Motion Picture and Television Engineers (SMPTE), Toronto Section.
He holds three master’s degrees – in business (MBA), communication (MA), and education (MEd). As well, he has three undergraduate diplomas and seven major certifications in business, computer programming, internetworking, project management, media, photography, and communication technology. He has completed over 80 next generation MOOC (Massive Open Online Courses) [aka Micro Learning] continuous education programs in a wide variety of topics, including: Economics, Python Programming, Internet of Things, Cloud, Artificial Intelligence and Cognitive systems, Blockchain, Agile, Power BI, Big Data, Design Thinking, Security, Indigenous Canada awareness, and more.
Martin is a volunteer, a photographer, a learner, a technologist, a philosophizer, and a romantic optimist.