This Woman Was The Very First Person To Go Over The Niagra Falls Inside Of A Barrel, And She Lived To Tell The Tale
Niagara Falls is one of the most beautiful landmarks on the planet. There is so much rich history surrounding the falls, and visitors still flock to it every year to get a good glimpse of the water and feel the mist on their faces.
Did you know that since the early 1900s, people have tried to ride over the falls in barrels? Did you know that the first person to ever do it was a woman?
Between 1901 and 1955, 15 people jumped over the falls in wooden barrels. Only 10 of them survived.
They were inspired by Annie Edson Taylor, who did it for the very first time in history on October 24th, 1901.
Annie was a school teacher who jumped into the falls on her 63rd birthday. Prior to her big plunge, she had fallen on hard times.
Reports say that in the last few years before going to the falls, Annie had lost a large amount of money and was in dire need of making some fast.
So what was her grand money-making idea? To jump over Niagara Falls in a barrel and profit off the fame.
That afternoon in October, Annie was towed in her barrel by a small boat to the brink over the mainstream of the falls. She was then cut loose and plummeted about 160 feet downwards into the raging waters.
Miraculously, around 15 minutes after her fall, the barrel reappeared near the Canadian shore. It was dragged over to some rocks, and the lid was removed. Annie unexpectedly emerged from that barrel and stunned so many people.
Saptashaw – stock.adobe.com – pictured above is a view of the Niagara Falls at sunset
She was unscathed besides a cut on her forehead, which she received while getting out of the barrel.
Annie’s plan to become famous for her jump was a success, as she officially became the first person to barrel-jump into the falls and survive.
She sold various mementos from her jump and wrote a popular memoir. However, despite her fame and brief monetary success, she didn’t become as lucrative as she had hoped. It’s reported that when she died in 1921, she was still quite poor.
So as you can see, diving into Niagara Falls at all, especially in a barrel, is a terrible idea. Although Annie survived, the majority of others who tried to make the jump after she did not.
If you want to get close to the falls, try out one of their official boat tours. Until then, use Annie as a precautionary tale.
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