After deciding she'd rather be dead than be poor, 63-year-old teacher Annie Edson Taylor became the first person to attempt going over Niagara Falls in a barrel, <hr><p style='color:grey; font-size:0.75em;'> Hosted on Acast. See <a style='color:grey;' target='_blank' rel='noopener noreferrer' href='https://acast.com/privacy'>acast.com/privacy</a> for more information.</p>

Annie Edson Taylor Part 2

In the 19th Century, Niagara Falls became not just a beautiful landmark, but an obstacle crossed, dived into, or ridden down. Sam Patch, the first American daredevil, took his pet bear drinking with him and wowed audiences with his unaided jumps into the river. Charles Blondin cooked an omelet on a tightrope out over the roiling water. Annie Taylor, desperate for money, became the first to go over the falls in a barrel. This well-researched podcast tells the stories of these and other extraordinary daredevils.  Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.