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Mark Blinch / Reuters
Tightrope walker Nik Wallenda walks the high wire from the U.S. side to the Canadian side over the Horseshoe Falls in Niagara Falls, Ontario, June 15, 2012.
Reuters reports: Nik Wallenda, a member of the famed "Flying Wallendas" family of aerialists, completed a historic tightrope crossing through the mist over Niagara Falls Gorge on Friday, stepping from a two-inch (5 cm) cable onto safe ground in Canada to wild cheers from onlookers.
Wallenda made the walk from the U.S. side of the falls to the Canadian side, a journey of 1,800 feet (550 meters) over treacherous waters and rocks, in a little more than 25 minutes.
Geoff Robins / AFP - Getty Images
Tightrope walker, Nik Wallenda the first walk across Niagara Falls in over a century, braving winds and heavy spray in his historic feat.
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He's certified nuts.
But it was still cool.
Congratulations!
It would be more interesting to watch Mitt Romney do this. One minute he moves to the left, in the next nanosecond he lurches to the right. Left. Right. The way Mitt changes positions hourly, he probably would not want to attempt this. He would end up in the mists of Niagara Falls..........
If odumba did it, he would be bringing back more illegals to vote for him. Of course if he ends up in canuckistan, maybe he could be talked into staying with his socialist brothers.
Now that would be a hope and dream of moving forward.
Now I will wait for all you drones and haters to begin...HAHA!!!
Really? We're so stupid that we're degrading this into a pissing contest between a Rupublican a**hole vs a Democratic a**hole? How stupid are you people?
Moving on.. What was that think trailing him? Is it supposed to save him if he falls? If so... it takes a lot of the thunder out of it...
@Bernie Made-off
LOL!
I'm a Repbublican, and I don't support Obama or his pathetic immigration policies. But you have to admit the neocons have been incredably weak on immigration as well. Does the word "amnesty" ring a bell? Also, plenty of illegals flooded into this country's porous borders while Bush was more concerned with finding phantom WMDs in Iraq.
Major cool.
Well NoScope I was a dem., and I have no respect for the party anymore. They pushed this clown who did nothing in the IL. Senate, the U.S. Senate and now the White House. The only bill that had his name on it in the U.S. Senate was co-sponsored by McCain. McCain dropped it when obummer wouldn't do anything on his end to help and to try it get through. I am not a real fan of Romney, but at least he has made a real living and has the experience to lead the country. Before others get into the whole Bain thing, Most of the companies that were closed happened after Romney left. But once again, at least he actually worked for a living.
If you look at barry's record now, all he has done is make more and more promises with very little results. This includes the two years that the dems. had both houses. The Executive Order he signed today actually does nothing for immigration. Chances are it will be overturned in the courts. The next president can also rescind the order, so it has no real value. This was only a stunt to try and get hispanics to vote for him again. He has spent more money than we can ever repay and he thinks the economy is "fine".
Guy is crazy man.
Wow
Was that meant to be some kind of comeback because you failed in epic proportions.
Congratulations partisan hacks; a guy walks a 2" tightrope over Niagara Falls for the first time in history and you manage to somehow turn it into a political argument. Bravo; that takes trolling to a new low.
This was a pretty amazing feat and congratulations to Nic Wallenda for accomplishing this; very cool pictures.
Experience?!? Romney was once the President of the United States??!! Get out of here!! What year because for the life of me I can't remember.....
-_-
WillardsEASSSSSSSS , you are about as stupid as stupid can get
looks like he had safety harness idk
Those wacky Wallendas. Much cooler than any of the idiots above who think we care about their political fantasies.
There is plenty of room for politics over at First Read. Take it over there.
Way to go Wallenda!
It was a historic feat. Took the Wallenda crew two years to get the OK from both countries, to detail the exact location of the wire across the Falls, structure the wire which was specially made, determine how many and where to place the ballasts to keep the wire somewhat stable, etc. There was the problem of poor vision from the mist that is concentrated in one area, where he experienced minimal vision. Mr. Wallenda had no choice - he had to have a tether for safety's sake, part of the contract with both countries, to which he objected but had no choice. He was also in touch with the TV crew for very short questions/answers during the walk, and his Father kept close contact with him sporadically. All in all, it was an exciting 20(?) min., well televised, great aerials of the Falls. Back when, it was known as the Place of Smoke Without Fire.
Thanks earthgirl, you expressed my thoughts exactly! Too bad that the rest of the crowd introduced politics.
this is truly unbelievable that a political discussion could come from this. What is wrong with you people other than having no life?
I lived in Puerto Rico back when the Grandfather Wallenda fell while trying to cross between two hotels. The day was really windy and it was a tragedy. When we saw him falling, all the cameras followed his dead. It is very risky and yes you could die. This young Wallenda deserves honors for being brave and like his great-grand father, he could have died in the act. Congratulations to a brave Wallenda!!!
Very cool, and unbelievable, I wound not try it, then again, my family is not the "Flying Wallendas".
Thats nothing, every morning I would walk across my bedrrom floor w/o waking up the angry life sucking bitch known as my ex-wife. No applause needed. Just kidding, well done. Now walk on over to the corner store and pick me up a six pack.
Very very ''tenseful'' even with the harness on...I liked him alot...very humble and sweet...Earthgirl said it all
Earthgirl did say it all pretty well. I'd just like to emphasize that this brave young man vehemently protested wearing the safety harness, as he has never worn one in any of his acts. His sponsors would not allow him to perform, however, unless he wore one. He was actually worried that the harness would cause a safety hazard. Thank God all went off without a hitch (pardon the pun!).
One more thing I'd like to add - I live in Niagara Falls (USA) and Mr. Wallenda spent quite a bit of time here, practicing. He made a very good impression on everyone he came into contact with, giving friendly chats with audiences who came to watch his practices every day. You couldn't find a nicer, down-to-earth guy.
Kudos to that intrepid Canadian Border guard who walked out to meet Walenda at the halfway mark to inquire citizenship and inspect for contraband.
Awesome job! Congrats to the entire Wallenda clan!!
Bernie Made-off, this is garbage. Write your own article next time. Way off-topic. You're suspended for a week for violating #4 of the Code of Honor; , DTNIC01, you're suspended for a day for violating #4 in response, and none of the off-topic followups will be restored.
How exciting. Nevermind -I could do this with a safety rope.
Look closely at the photo. He has a safety rope.
And what in heavens is wrong to have a safety rope???
Sure you could Jimbo! With a full load in your diaper! jk. T.V. made him do it. No rope, no coverage. What a crock pot full of overdone P.C. Bull tentacle's!
the insurance companies who rule the world wouldn't let him do it without a safety-rope
Anyone could do it with the aid of those safety belts!
It wasn't the insurance companies b.s., but the sponsors. I don't think they can get insurance companies to cover stunts like this.
He was wearing magnetic soled shoes. That's the dirty little secret to this whole high wire act. lol
My friend, with due respect, you could not have gotten 10 feet across that rope.
Bungy jumping is more dangerous than what this guy did, so don't give me that. Total publicity stunt and a waste of my time. He'll probably get a realty show now, that you and other dumbmasses will watch. tethered daredevil is an oxymoron!
ABC refused to broadcast this if he didn't wear the safety harness. If you watched he did not want to use it, and didn't need it. So get your facts straight.
Brian: It was televised on ABC. I watched the entire crossing, including the two hour build up to when he stepped on the rope and the amazing sprint he did at the end. It was remarkable! Those who criticize him for using a safety device are overly judgmental. If he was not wearing a safety belt and fell to his death you would have criticize him for not wearing one. He wore one and fortunately did not need to use it so now you criticize him for wearing it.
Talk about balance and confidence. That is quite a distance.
Whether he had a safety harness on or not, doesn't change the fact he crossed Niagria Falls on a tightrope.
Once he was forced to use a safety tether, the thrill was totally gone. Had to change the channel.
A woman walked the Falls backwards with a paper bag over her head so were the the great feat ??
I dated that woman. Needed two paper bags though.
So, did the police still require he take a breathalizer test to prove he wasn't driving through town under the influence, or was walking a straight line across the falls good enough?
Those who criticize the safety harness remember the days when Evel Knievel jumped over the Snake River on his motorcycle.
Hey Jimmy 5-4-3-2-1 , your time is up...put it to bed.
If you read any pre walk or watched, he walked from the United States to Canada. Insurance, TV, sponsors etc had nothing to do with him wearing a safety harness. The United States and Canada BOTH said two years ago, NO GO unless you wear one. The fact he didn't need one demonstrates his skill. If anything it was something to bring a lot of people together for 20 some minutes of down time. Those that want to bring politics into this seriously need to schedule some down time for themselves. There is a time and place for that and for everything else. Come on, Geez!
That was the most amazing NON-death defying stunt ever performed. lol. It was so funny hearing the broadcasters clammer on about how dangerous this was. Beetches, please. I can see a SNL skit coming.
Did you notice that none of the other articles on this mention the safety wire? So, it was interesting and some beautiful scenery, but definitely lacked the drama. And yes, the safety wire does make all the difference in the world. Let's face it, he knew he had nothing riding on it other than putting on a good show. Kind of like the little boys who play that paint gun game. Sure, they get excited playing it. But, put real bullets in the guns and do you think they wouldn't think there was a difference? Putting one's life on the line always changes the equation. But, let's give him credit. He didn't want to wear it and ABC required it, at least that's what I've read. Maybe they required it because the governments required it. Who knows. I didn't watch it. Does anyone know whether ABC mentioned that the wire was being worn because they required it? It's not mentioned on their website.
like u say nice job ,not great, wheres the danger (safety rope) waste of time to watch
I saw the Walendas almost 60 years ago. I've followed multiple deaths of almost the whole family almost every generation. A safety rope cannot detract from the spectacle and thus this extraordinary family can thrill many more generations.
Congratulations.
Nik Wallenda is carrying on hids family's legendary history-as well as making history himself. Nik Wallendas wife is Erendira Vazquez Wallenda-of the Flying Vazquez family-who made history for the first quadruple somersault on the flying trapeze. My son-in-law-Vinicio Vazquez is Nik's father-in-law. I have the feeling that Nik's children will also carry on the proud legacy of their combined families. It is wonderful that the world can appreciate the talent and drive that these people have shown over the decades-and I am proud that Nik is carrying the tradition forward. We should all give them the applause they deserve. BRAVO!!! Nik and family!
Doing it without a safety line would've been more fun to watch.
The water and rocks don't matter when you have a safety line. He might as well been walking five feet over a bunch of pillows... because both would have been equally dangerous.
And your most famous accomplishment is? Never mind.
your a idiot ... first, you would never have the balls to attempt this ..... second, he hated the damn the thing but ABC TV forced him to wear it or the Walk wouldnt have happened .... lastly, he didnt use it ... so just find anyother topic to troll and STFU
you do it ....
You folks that think the safety line took the excitement out of it really disappoint me...the "safety line" still had to have a "bigger than what I call safe" gap in it to make sure it cleared the weights placed on the tightrope...or are you all idiots. It was still the most unbelievably brave act I have seen in a very long time. Although it was his dream, I feel that he did it for many more reasons...all unselfish and you would realize that if you really bothered to care about anything than your BTE and KIA distinction. God Bless the Walenda's.
I could not watch but, congratulations!!!!!!!!!!!
he should have been sent back, he didn't go through customs...
Actually Canadian Custom officials met him when he arrived and he showed them his passport.
bernie made off go to hell and back to mexico
... actually as a joke he told the official after briefly feeling his pockets for it .... "damn, forgot it, gotta go back!" .... was funny, lol
Ah, if you watched the whole thing...yeah, he did.
Isn't anyone concerned about this new avenue for illegals to pass into both countries?!
I didn't watch the "event" on TV. I saw it listed; there was a 30 min pre show before the 60 min actual show. I figured it would be 85 minutes of hype, yakking, advertizements, and so forth and then 5 minutes of tightrope walking.
If the guy did in fact have a safety harness then what's the point? The entire purpose for watching someone doing something insanely dangerous is the risk factor. No risk, no excitement.
I am happy for him; it is a great thing to do and I am very glad they made him wear a harness, just in case. There is no reason to risk one's life to prove something. It is just as exciting to watch him with the safely line as it would be without. Great job ! Great and somewhat crazy heritage...but hey ! it's the Wallenda tradition. They are tough and a unique breed of risk takers. Showbiz.
A great feat...with feet.
Idiot.
You think this guy is crazy? You should have seen the wire walking pyramids that his family used to pull off in the 1950's and 60's. That's like 6 people, balancing on top of each other, each with a balancing pole, walking crazy distances at great height on a very small wire. These were his grandparents and various uncles and aunts, a number of whom would eventually die in some terrible falls. I'm surprised to learn the family is still walking high wires.
I think that, aside from that time the pyramid collapsed......there was one other incident....when they were doing the same routine, and the power inside the circus tent went completely out for several seconds. In the middle of the 7 person pyramid....at center wire...in complete blackout.
Wow, it was an incredible walking! I was there in San Juan, Puerto Rico when his grandfather fall into space, Carl Wallenda didn't take into consideration the high winds of the Caribbean Sea, and I saw it all when he fall down and died! I saw it last night when his grandson did it, and his first words were for his dead and beloved grandfather Carl Walenda. Tremendous accomplishment!
He hated the safety harness. He said he felt like a jackass with it on.
Actually, he said he felt like a jack-off. He quickly ammanded it to jackass, but it was still pretty darn funny!
Look up Jean Francois Gravelet (The Great Blondin). He crossed the Niagara Gorge on a tightrope in 1859. From Niagara Parks website:
Watchers saw him lower a rope from the tightrope to the Maid of the Mist, pull up a bottle and sit down while he refreshed himself. He began his ascent toward the Canadian shore, paused, steadied the balancing pole and suddenly executed a back somersault.
Never content merely to repeat his last performance, Blondin crossed his rope on a bicycle, walked blindfolded, pushed a wheelbarrow, cooked an omelet in the centre and made the trip with his hands and feet manacled.
Yet even these stunts failed to satisfy Blondin’s urge to test him. He announced that on August 19 he would cross the gorge carrying his manager, Harry Colcord, on his back. It was to be the supreme test of Blondin’s skill and stamina.
According to Colcord, the trip was a nightmare. In the unguyed centre section, the pair swayed violently. Blondin was fighting for his life. He broke into a desperate run to reach the first guy rope. When he reached it and steadied himself, it broke. Once more the pair swayed alarmingly as Blondin again ran for the next guy.
When they reached it Blondin gasped for Colcord to get down. Six times in all Colcord had to dismount while Blondin had to charge the crowd on the brink to prevent the press of people forcing them back in the precipice.
bluelake,
yup, i remember too. those pyramids nearly killed them all off.
I got to watch this ones father once. Awesome!
Sorry. I thought this one was Karls son. He's actually Karls grandson. Karl is the one I saw.
No big deal doing it with the safety harness. his grandfather never used one. try doing it like his grandfather with no harness or nets now thats balls. took 80% of the thrill away from it.
He has never used one in the past. However, they would not broadcast it live if he didn't wear one.
Big deal, about as boring as watching paint dry.
I happen to like to watch paint dry
Or reading a post from BooHoo-1351197
what a whiner! if someone isn't killed,raped,or mutilated he not interested.
... as I was once told as a child ..... there is no such thing as being bored ..... only boring people.
Not to scoff at the guy for an amazing feat, but why is this featured as headline news seeing as it was done over 100 years ago?
He did it last night.
it has never been done before .... I love people who use a PC, the greatest information gathering tool ever known to man, sitting on virtually everyone desk ... and you get some moron like this stating that someone has already done this.
Someone crossed the gorge itself, but no one has ever crossed directly over the Falls itself. Before you say its the same, its not ...... the area directly over the falls has almost its very own atmosphere and weather .... the air currents, humidity and the mist create something quite different than anywhere on either side .... get a life and use the computer for more than making stupid comment and go learn something ...... maybe find another topic where you can make a good opinion made AFTER you get your facts straight. ...... lol
It's never been done before. Blondin did it over the river multiple times including carrying his manager on his back.
Not that I would ever do it, but this is actually a lot easier than it looks. With a pole heavily weighted at the ends, as the one he carried, his center of gravity was very low. If it drops below the tightrope, it would actually take effort to fall off. Simple physics, and Wallendas have been making careers out of making it look hard for decades. Still a nice show, though. They also have a good flair for the dramatic.
so how diid physics help them with the three layer pyramid? and why didn't it flawlessly prevent several of them from falling to their deaths? silly ole physics, must not have listened to james p stoddard.
Thanks for your observation. For the uninformed, the following are excerpts from a physics website. Please note that while it is not impossible to fall when carrying the pole, it makes it much less likely to happen.
A tightrope walker carrying a long pole has a larger moment of inertia. Therefore they need more torque to start rotating. The tightrope walker can and will fall if he starts rotating around the tightrope. With a pole, small torques or imbalances, however, are less likely to cause the tightrope walker to fall.
If the center of gravity is directly above the support point, physicists call the balance an unstable equilibrium. That means that a slight push will upset the balance. The higher the center of gravity, the less force is required to upset the unstable equilibrium.
If the tightrope walker's pole bends down at the ends, his center of gravity will be lower. If there are weights on the ends of the pole, the center of gravity will be even lower.
everyone comments like he just walked on a tight rope with a pole to balance. What about the changing winds and water blinding him etc. I know he practiced with water spraying in his face but the winds changing as they did was remarkable that he did it. A lot of armchair tight rope walkers out there.
.... more clown making comments from the safety of their living room and lacking the balls to do anything evn remotly close to anything couragous, lol
The fact that the drenching mist that cascaded and pelted his body and nearly blinded him as he hit the center portion ...... how about the swirling blasts of wind that hit him from all sides? Did you all listen to him giving radio and TV interviews DURING his walk ... damn guy was cool as a cucumber ......
The best part for me (besides his obvious devotion to his Creator) was how the cameras captured the "smallness" of man compared to the "greatness" of God and His creation. Breathtaking to watch......and very humbling.
Poles are helpful and make the act possible, but... What about that walker I saw that, after the act was over, set down the pole and slid down the guy wire to the floor, on her feet, from just as high as any Walenda I ever saw. These daredevils don't endanger themselves needlessly but they sure do thrill us.
I should've known better than to look at MSNBC before the west coast airing of the "live" event. Agree that he should have been allowed to go w/out the safety line - family tradition and better for ratings.
This can't be true, nobody would name their kid NIK.
but seriously, harness or not it takes some large ones to try something like this. That is a long drop and it is like being in a rainstorm just to stand at the overlook.
Heyseed, You must have not watched the movie "My Great Big Fat Greek Wedding". Nearly every guy and one girl (the hot chick) was named Nik.
I was amazed at how calm he was during the whole feat. He was carrying on conversations with his dad and ABC anchors as if he were having lunch in a cafe. He could also be heard praising and thanking his Heavenly Father and Jesus his Savior.
Ohhh Jesus, another nut for the lord.
LAME!!!! Death defying stunts are supposed to have the element of death involved. The cable looks like a 2 x 4. I work construction and walk on 2 x4s 3 stories high with out a cable. They should let children try after he is finished. My son has small feet I bet he could run across the cable with a safety harness. What a waste of tv time. Hope he didn't make much money else I might start a new career. Maybe I will cross the english channel on a cable with a harness. What is the harm!
shut up stupid ..... you dont have the berries on your twig to do anything even remotely close to something like this, so just stfu and get a grip dude.
Let's pretend for a moment that the cable is actually as wide as a 2x4. Unlike a 2x4, the cable isn't flat. Plus, it's slippery, windy, and loud.
I seriously doubt that you'd have no issue replacing the 2x4s at your construction sites with tightropes.
And the Great Wallendas live on. I always loved to watch their act on the trapeze. They hardly used nets to catch them if they fell. I remember when the Patriarch died. He was doing a stunt know one ever done before. I think now someone in the family has done the stunt, but it was a long time coming.
James-If it was such an effort to fall off, how come so many of his family have. Why don't you watch the YouTube video of his grandfather Karl falling to his death in Puerto Rico in 1978 and then tell me again how "it is easier than it looks"?
If I'm not mistaken (and I could very well be), wasn't that Miami where Karl fell to his death? Feel free to correct me if I'm wrong, but that's how I remember it.
March 22, 1978 in San Juan, Puerto Rico. Between the towers of the Condado Plaza hotel. He was 73 years old. Because of windy conditions hew was warned against the walk but did not want to call off the demonstration.
ABC required him to wear the safety tether.
Yep..he didn't want to.
I hear that back turn of the century time (20th century) a guy did the wire walk at the falls with a bucket and at the halfway point lowered the bucket and brought up some water and did his laundry... and then finished the wire walk. Another guy tried to upstage that guy by carrying a small stove to the middle where he cooked his breakfast, ate it and continued on. Then there was a woman who walked the falls on a wire with a peach basket dangling from each foot.
Kinda interesting what people will do for attention.
Maybe ABC should start airing all the bungie jumps in the world. I think the bungee is less reliable then the cable harness.
why not forget the bungie cord all together,it would be more exciting.....
I watched it and it was totally amazing, but edge of your seat intense especially when he was going through the mist and wind. I have never seen his family do anything before( I'm not usually into watching stuff like this but after all the news coverage of him trying to get permission to do it I had to watch) and I was amazed when he said he is 7th generation. His father did a wonderful job talking him through it and he was so proud at the end. Finally something on tv that I actually enjoyed watching, better then all the annoying reality shows out there that people just swear and yell at each other.
Andrefan: I totally agree with you. These are the type of "reality" shows I enjoy watching. I also enjoy the show "American Ninja" (I think that is the name of the show...but I am not sure). in any event, I saw it twice and now I look forward to seeing it every week. I can't wait until they get to the final in Vegas.
Obviously many of you didnt follow the story you just turned on the tv blind. He normally does not do any of his stunts with safety precautions. The Canadian government made him do it this way or he would not be permitted to do the stunt. this is not what he wanted at all and tried to fight it!!!
Why hate your sitting there watching it and most wouldnt do it even it there were precautions. Just sayin
Guys , stay on topic, what does politics have to do with this great feat ??, yeah he wore a safety guide , it was the only way the governments were going to let him do this, I'm sure many were only watching to see if he fell to his death , which then would have been televised on televion in at least 2 countries and many a lawyer already getting ready for the class action suit of the emotional distress of watching this and being traumatized. He has far surpassed his families fame , set a place for himself in History, and inspires hopes and goals in accomplishing things thought impossible !!! Congrautualtions Nick you did your grandpa proud !!
your statement says it all !!!!!!!!!.........