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List of people who have gone over Niagara Falls

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Niagara Falls as viewed from the Canadian side of the river. The three individual falls from left to right are American Falls, Bridal Veil Falls, and Horseshoe Falls.

Thousands of people have gone over Niagara Falls, either intentionally (as stunts or suicide attempts) or accidentally. The first recorded person to survive going over the falls was school teacher Annie Edson Taylor, who in 1901 successfully completed the stunt inside an oak barrel. In the following 123 years, thousands of people have been swept over the falls but only sixteen people have reportedly survived the feat. All instances of people having survived the trip over the falls have been over the Canadian Horseshoe Falls. Following the death of one daredevil in 1951, stunting at Niagara Falls has been illegal and subject to fines of up to $25,000 USD.

History

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A number of people have gained notoriety from their stunts, both successful and fatal. The first documented survival of a trip over Niagara Falls was that of school teacher Annie Edson Taylor in 1901. Taylor went over the falls in an oak barrel as part of a stunt in an attempt to bring her financial security.[1] Other daredevil attempts have been made by Bobby Leach, Charles Stephens, Jean Lussier, Karel Soucek, and Steve Trotter.[1][2][3][4][5] In 1903, baseball Hall of Famer Ed Delahanty died after accidentally going over the falls while intoxicated.[6] Following the death of daredevil William "Red" Hill, Jr. in 1951, Ontario Premier Leslie Frost issued an order to the Niagara Parks Commission to arrest anyone found to be performing stunts at the falls.[7] Both Canadian and American authorities began to issue fines for daredevils at the falls; as of 2011, the fines are $10,000 CAD (approximately $7,700 USD) in Canada, or $25,000 USD (approximately $32,800 CAD) in the United States.[8]

When the American Falls was temporarily diverted in 1969, two bodies were found; the identities were not disclosed.[9] There have been no recorded cases of people surviving the trip over the American Falls.

Statistics

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Between 1958 and 1967, an average of 7.1 people per year went over the falls. From 1978 to 1988, the average was 12.8 per year.[10] Other reports suggest an annual average between 20 and 30.[11] By 1900, approximately 1,000 people were believed to have gone over the falls in acts of suicide.[12] In 2011, it was reported that 5,000 bodies had been recovered from the foot of the falls since 1850.[13]

The majority of deaths are suicides, and most take place from the Canadian Horseshoe Falls. Many of these suicides are not publicized by officials.[11] Of the daredevil attempts, the survival rate is approximately 75%.[14][13]

Incidents

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Joseph Avery stranded in Niagara River
Annie Edson Taylor posing with her wooden barrel (1901)
Ed Delahanty with the Washington Senators in 1903
Bobby Leach posing with his steel barrel (1911)
Charles Stephens in his barrel, prior to his fatal July 1920 attempt
Date Individual Fate Falls Circumstances
19 July 1853 Joseph Avery[a] Fatality American Falls[15] Avery and two other men had been working on a scow and drinking, and attempted to row from Goat Island to the mainland when their boat capsized. The two other men went over the American Falls immediately,[15] while Avery grabbed onto tree roots growing from a rock just east of Chapin Island and weathered the current for eighteen hours.[16] Several attempts were made at rescue the next morning and a boat tethered to the Goat Island[b] bridge was guided downstream to reach Avery. He was able to climb onto the boat, but it immediately capsized throwing Avery back into the water before he went over the falls. A daguerreotype of Avery holding onto the tree was made by Platt D. Babbitt.[18][19][20] William Dean Howells eulogized Avery's death in a poem, which concluded with the lines "Caught in the long-baffled clutch of the rapids, and rolled and hurled; headlong on to the cataract's brink, and out of the world".[17][21] At times following Avery's death, the rock from which he clung became known as "Avery's Rock".[17]
Unnamed man Fatality
Unnamed man Fatality
1 September 1889 Carlisle Graham Survival Horseshoe Falls[22] A week previous to his attempt over the falls, Graham had used a barrel to successfully take him through the Niagara Whirlpool. At 6:45 a.m on 1 September 1889, Graham's barrel was released into the river near Chippewa Creek before going over the falls at 7:10 a.m. Upon his rescue, Graham complained of back and head pain and his speech was described as incoherent.[23]
24 October 1901 Annie Edson Taylor Survival Horseshoe Falls[24] Having successfully sent a cat over the falls in a barrel two days previously, Taylor survived going over the falls in an oak barrel as a stunt designed to help her financially. She exited the barrel bleeding but was not seriously injured.[1]
2 July 1903 Ed Delahanty Fatality Horseshoe Falls[25] Delahanty, a baseball player who was later elected to the National Baseball Hall of Fame, was swept over the falls having fallen from the International Railway Bridge; he had been kicked off a night train for drunk and disorderly conduct and threatening passengers. Delahanty's body was later recovered near the Maid of the Mist's berth; his body was mangled and one leg was severed.[6]
25 July 1911 Bobby Leach Survival Horseshoe Falls[26] Leach, who had performed with Barnum & Bailey Circus,[27] went over the falls in a metal barrel and subsequently spent six months in the hospital recovering from two broken knee caps and a fractured jaw.[1]
11 July 1920 Charles Stephens Fatality Horseshoe Falls[28] Stephens, from Bristol in the UK, went over the falls in a barrel. Both Bobby Leach (q.v) and William "Red" Hill, Sr. urged Stephens to test his barrel over the falls before attempting the stunt, but he refused. When the barrel was recovered at the foot of the falls, the ballast had broken through the bottom of the barrel, and had pulled Stephen's body out of the barrel, leaving just his right arm in the safety harness.[2]
4 July 1928 Jean Lussier Survival Horseshoe Falls[29] Lussier survived going over the falls in a large ball with a spring steel frame and a rubber covering.[3]
4 July 1930 George Stathakis Fatality Horseshoe Falls[30] Stathakis, a Greek immigrant working as a chef in Buffalo, New York, went over the falls in a barrel. Upon impact, the barrel was stuck behind a curtain of water and could not be recovered for 18 hours. Stathakis had an air supply of up to eight hours – although he had survived the initial fall, he died of suffocation.[31] Stathakis took the plunge with his pet turtle, which was said to be around 150 years old. The turtle survived the ordeal.[32]
5 August 1951 William "Red" Hill, Jr. Fatality Horseshoe Falls[7] Hill, the son of William "Red" Hill, Sr., went over the falls in a craft he named "The Thing". The vessel broke apart on impact and Hill was killed; his body was found the following day. Following Hill's death, Canadian and American authorities banned public stunts at the falls and began to issue fines for people making attempts over the falls.[8]
9 July 1960 Roger Woodward Survival Horseshoe Falls[33] Seven-year-old Roger Woodward was swept over the falls. Woodward and his sister Deanne were in a 12-foot (3.7 m) aluminium fishing boat helmed by their family friend, James Honeycutt. Honeycutt lost use of the boat's propeller some 1.8 kilometres (1.1 mi) from the falls.[33] The boat subsequently capsized in the rapids. Deanne was pulled from the river just 20 feet (6.1 m) from the brink of the falls, but Roger and Honeycutt were taken over the falls.[13][34] Roger, who was wearing a lifejacket and remained buoyant, was rescued by the Maid of the Mist at the bottom of the falls; Honeycutt died.[34]
James Honeycutt Fatality
15 July 1961 Nathan Boya Survival Horseshoe Falls[35] Boya (born William Fitzgerald) went over the falls in a rubber ball nicknamed the "Plunge-O-Sphere". The ball hit rocks on impact and bounced, but Boya was uninjured.[36] Boya had launched from the American shore which would normally have resulted in him going over the American Falls, however a current took him closer to the Canadian shore.[35]
29 August 1981 Hesham Sayegh Fatality Horseshoe Falls[37] Dunia Sayegh, a 27-year-old resident of Toronto, dropped her two-month-old son Hesham over the railing and into the river just up from the brink of Horseshoe Falls, whereupon he was quickly swept over the falls. The boy's body was never found. Sayegh was arrested and charged with second-degree murder;[38][39][40] the charges were dismissed.[41]
3 July 1984 Karel Soucek Survival Horseshoe Falls[42] Soucek went over the falls in a barrel; he emerged with only minor injuries to his face that had been caused by his wristwatch on impact with the water.[4] Soucek's descent was reported to be 75 miles per hour (121 km/h), and it took 45 minutes for the barrel to be recovered.[4]
30 May 1985 Robert Ahrens Fatality American Falls[43] A man, believed to have been 56-year-old Robert Ahrens,[44] committed suicide by jumping into the rapids at Prospect Point. Ahrens' fatal jump was coincidentally recorded by WGRZ, as cameraman Larry Frasier and anchor Phil Kavits were interrupted during a news piece on Niagara Falls upon seeing Ahrens.
18 August 1985 Steve Trotter Survival Horseshoe Falls[45] Trotter went over the falls in a barrel. It was his second attempt—his first, in November 1984, had been foiled by the police.[5]
5 October 1985 David Munday Survival Horseshoe Falls[46] Munday successfully went over the falls in a barrel, having already had an attempt foiled when the International Control Dam reduced the river depth and grounded Munday's barrel.[46] Munday made two further attempts to go over the falls, with one in 1990 failing when the barrel lodged at the top of the falls.[47]
November 1986 Robert Billings Fatality American Falls[43] Canadian poet Robert Billings committed suicide following the breakdown of his marriage, and after the falls froze over for the winter, his body wouldn't be recovered until June 1987. Three years prior in 1983, Billings authored the poem "Epiphanies on the First Cold Day", which detailed his future method of suicide.
28 September 1989 Peter De Bernardi Survival Horseshoe Falls[48] De Bernardi and Petkovich went over the falls in a reinforced barrel; their stunt was to draw attention to an anti-drugs campaign.[1][49] Approximately one year later, De Bernardi and Petkovich had another attempt foiled by authorities.
Jeffery James Petkovich Survival
5 June 1990 Jessie Sharp Fatality Horseshoe Falls[50] Sharp went over the falls in a plastic kayak.[50] He had intended to continue paddling on the river after the fall, and had a dinner reservation at a restaurant in Lewiston, 4 miles (6.4 km) downstream. After beginning the plunge he quickly disappeared into the falls and although his kayak was later found, his body was never recovered. Sharp decided not to wear a life jacket in case it impeded an escape should he get trapped under the falls, and refused to wear a helmet in order to keep his face recognizable to cameras.[51]
26 September 1993 David Munday Survival Horseshoe Falls[46] Munday's second successful attempt at going over the falls (his first was on 5 October 1985).[47]
18 June 1995 Steve Trotter Survival Horseshoe Falls[45] Trotter's second successful attempt at going over the falls (his first was on 18 August 1985) and Martin's first.[5]
Lori Martin Survival
1 October 1995 Robert Overacker Fatality Horseshoe Falls[52] Overacker went over the falls on a jet ski to raise awareness for the homeless. His rocket-propelled parachute failed to open and he fell to his death. Overacker's body was recovered the next day and he was pronounced dead at Niagara General Hospital.[53][54]
22 October 2003 Kirk Jones Survival Horseshoe Falls[55] Jones went over the falls and became the first person to survive the drop without any aid in the fall, having swum from approximately 100 yards (91 m) before swimming over the falls. Jones and his friends had been drinking before the incident, and had planned to record the event—although his friends were not able to operate the recorder. Jones was fined $2,300 CAD and banned for life from entering Canada.[1] He has said that his going over the falls was a suicide attempt rather than a stunt.[19] Jones made a fatal attempt at going over the falls on 19 April 2017.
10 March 2009 Unnamed man Survival Horseshoe Falls[56] An unnamed 30-year-old Canadian man survived a suicide attempt over the falls.[11] In the attempt, his clothes were ripped from his body and he suffered a head laceration as well as cold shock, later developing hypothermia.[13][56]
14 August 2011 Ayano Tokumasu Fatality Horseshoe Falls[57] Tokumasu, a 19-year-old Japanese exchange student, was swept over the falls.[58] Niagara Parks Police surveillance cameras show her climbing onto the railing near the water's edge and sitting on a pillar block. At about 8:30 p.m. she stood up, lost her footing, and fell over the edge into the Niagara River, approximately 20 metres (66 ft) upstream from the falls.[59][60][61] Her body was recovered on 18 August.[62]
21 May 2012 Unnamed man Survival Horseshoe Falls[63] An unnamed man in his early 40s became the fourth person[11] to survive an unprotected trip over Horseshoe Falls. Eyewitness reports indicate that he "deliberately jumped" into the Niagara River after climbing over a railing. He was reported to have suffered life-changing injuries,[63] later specified as broken ribs, a collapsed lung and lacerations.[64]
19 April 2017 Kirk Jones Fatality American Falls[65] Jones, who went over the falls unprotected on 22 October 2003, made an attempt within an inflatable ball. The ball had been seen spinning in the rapids above the American Falls on 19 April and later went over the falls.[65] Jones died in the attempt; the empty ball was picked up by the Maid of the Mist, and Jones's body was recovered near Lake Ontario on 2 June.[55][66]
8 July 2019 Unnamed man Survival Horseshoe Falls[67] At roughly 4 a.m., officers responded to a report of a person in crisis at the brink of the Canadian side of the falls. Once officers got to the scene, the man climbed the retaining wall, jumped into the river and went over the Horseshoe Falls. Authorities subsequently began to search the lower Niagara River basin, where the man was found sitting on the rocks at the water's edge.[67]

Footnotes

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  1. ^ Other accounts Avery's first name as Sam
  2. ^ Then known as Bath Island[17]

References

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  1. ^ a b c d e f Niagara Falls Live (2011), "Daredevils of Niagara Falls", Buffalo Republican, archived from the original on 23 July 2011, retrieved 29 July 2011
  2. ^ a b Obringer, Lee Ann (2011), How Going Over Niagara Works, How Stuff Works, p. 7, retrieved 29 July 2011
  3. ^ a b Obringer, Lee Ann (2011), How Going Over Niagara Works, How Stuff Works, p. 8, retrieved 29 July 2011
  4. ^ a b c Obringer, Lee Ann (2011), How Going Over Niagara Works, How Stuff Works, p. 12, retrieved 29 July 2011
  5. ^ a b c Obringer, Lee Ann (2011), How Going Over Niagara Works, How Stuff Works, p. 14, retrieved 29 July 2011
  6. ^ a b New York Times (1903), "Delehanty's Body Found", New York Times, retrieved 14 August 2012
  7. ^ a b "History of Niagara Falls Daredevils – William". Niagara Falls Info. 3 February 2017. Retrieved 4 September 2020.
  8. ^ a b Obringer, Lee Ann (2011), How Going Over Niagara Works, How Stuff Works, p. 10, retrieved 29 July 2011
  9. ^ Adams, Eric (29 January 2016). "New York Is Going to Turn Off Niagara Falls. Here's How". Wired. Retrieved 2 September 2020.
  10. ^ Ross, T E; Lester, D (December 1991). "Suicides at Niagara Falls". American Journal of Public Health. 81 (12): 1677–1678. doi:10.2105/AJPH.81.12.1677-a. ISSN 0090-0036. PMC 1405267. PMID 1746675.
  11. ^ a b c d Lendon, Brad (2012), After Niagara suicide attempts, questions about how and why, CNN, retrieved 26 May 2012
  12. ^ Berton, Pierre (1992). Niagara: a history of the falls. Albany , NY: Excelsior Ed. p. 258. ISBN 9781438429281.
  13. ^ a b c d Conheady, Matthew (2011), Niagara Falls Frequently Asked Questions, NYFalls, archived from the original on 18 October 2011, retrieved 29 July 2011
  14. ^ Lee, Stacy (2014), You'll Be Shocked How Many People Die on Niagara Falls!, The Key 98.3, retrieved 16 November 2018
  15. ^ a b Babbitt, Platt D. (1853). "Joseph Avery stranded on rocks in the Niagara River". www.loc.gov. Library of Congress. Retrieved 3 September 2020.
  16. ^ Zeller, Bob (2005). The Blue and Gray in Black and White: A History of Civil War Photography. Greenwood Publishing Group. pp. 11–13. ISBN 9780275982430.
  17. ^ a b c Eckel, P M. "Botany - Goat Island Complex - Niagara Falls". www.mobot.org. Buffalo Museum of Science. Retrieved 4 September 2020.
  18. ^ Babbit, Platt D. (1853), "Joseph Avery stranded on rocks in the Niagara River", Library of Congress, retrieved 15 March 2020
  19. ^ a b Niagara Frontier (2012), Kirk Jones – Interview with a Daredevil, retrieved 1 February 2016
  20. ^ "Niagara Life & Death on the river", Niagara Frontier, 2012, retrieved 15 March 2020
  21. ^ "Avery by William Dean Howells". www.online-literature.com. Online Literature. Retrieved 4 September 2020.
  22. ^ "Monthly Summary of Current Events". Parry's Monthly Magazine. 6: 39. 1890. Retrieved 30 May 2022.
  23. ^ "Over Niagara Falls". Gogebic Iron Tribune. 7 September 1889. p. 6. Retrieved 30 May 2022.
  24. ^ "Annie Edson Taylor". Niagara Falls Info. 3 February 2017. Retrieved 3 September 2020.
  25. ^ Pluto, Terry (15 August 2015). "Indians Hall of Famer Delahanty's death a mystery: Pluto". cleveland.com. Cleveland. Retrieved 3 September 2020.
  26. ^ "Bobby Leach, and his barrel". Library of Congress. Retrieved 3 September 2020.
  27. ^ "Bobby Leach went down the Niagara Falls in a barrel, but eventually died from a bizarrely small cause". technology.org. 15 April 2019. Retrieved 4 September 2020.
  28. ^ "Charles G. Stephens and his barrel". cdm16694.contentdm.oclc.org. New York Heritage. Retrieved 3 September 2020.
  29. ^ "History of Niagara Falls Daredevils - Jean Lussier". Niagara Falls Info. 3 February 2017. Retrieved 3 September 2020.
  30. ^ "Daredevils of Niagara | George L. Stathakis". Niagara Falls IMAX & Daredevil Exhibit. IMAX. 5 July 2011. Retrieved 3 September 2020.
  31. ^ Obringer, Lee Ann (2011), How Going Over Niagara Works, How Stuff Works, p. 9, retrieved 29 July 2011
  32. ^ Niagara Daredevils (2012), George Stathakis, Niagara Daredevils, archived from the original on 2 February 2013, retrieved 18 February 2013
  33. ^ a b "History of Niagara Falls Daredevils - Roger Woodward". Niagara Falls Info. 3 February 2017. Retrieved 3 September 2020.
  34. ^ a b Info Niagara (2011), Account of Roger Woodward's Niagara Falls Incident, archived from the original on 17 May 2008, retrieved 29 July 2011
  35. ^ a b "Nathan T. Boya". Niagara Falls Info. 3 February 2017. Retrieved 3 September 2020.
  36. ^ Obringer, Lee Ann (2011), How Going Over Niagara Works, How Stuff Works, p. 11, retrieved 29 July 2011
  37. ^ "The mother of an infant killed when he was..." UPI. United Press International. 3 September 1981. Retrieved 3 September 2020.
  38. ^ "AROUND THE WORLD; Mother Drops Infant Into Niagara Falls". New York Times. 31 August 1981. Retrieved 12 April 2013.
  39. ^ Lewiston Journal (1981), "Bail denied to mother who threw baby over falls", Lewiston Journal, retrieved 12 April 2013
  40. ^ Lewiston Journal (1981), "Mother drops baby into Niagara Falls", Lewiston Journal, retrieved 12 April 2013
  41. ^ "Dunia Sayegh; 28; leaves courthouse with her brother; Yasser Eid;..." Getty Images. 21 July 2014. Retrieved 3 September 2020.
  42. ^ "35,000 Watch as Barrel Misses Water Tank : 180-Ft. Drop Ends in Stunt Man's Death". Los Angeles Times. 21 January 1985. Retrieved 3 September 2020.
  43. ^ a b Bonfatti, John F. (8 November 1987). "'Hot Line' Phones Installed at the Brink : Niagara Falls Lures the Suicidal, Keeps Police Officers on Their Toes". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 23 June 2024.
  44. ^ "Search for man who went over falls". United Press International. 31 May 1985. Retrieved 23 June 2024.
  45. ^ a b "History of Niagara Falls Daredevils - Steven Trotter". Niagara Falls Info. 3 February 2017. Retrieved 3 September 2020.
  46. ^ a b c "History of Niagara Falls Daredevils - John David Munday". Niagara Falls Info. 3 February 2017. Retrieved 3 September 2020.
  47. ^ a b Obringer, Lee Ann (2011), How Going Over Niagara Works, How Stuff Works, p. 13, retrieved 29 July 2011
  48. ^ "History of Niagara Falls Daredevils - Peter DeBernardi & Jeffrey Petkovich". Niagara Falls Info. 3 February 2017. Retrieved 3 September 2020.
  49. ^ Info Niagara (2011), Peter Debernardi & Geoffrey Petkovich, retrieved 29 July 2011
  50. ^ a b "History of Niagara Falls Daredevils - Jessie W. Sharp". Niagara Falls Info. 3 February 2017. Retrieved 3 September 2020.
  51. ^ Info Niagara (2011), Jesse Sharp, retrieved 29 July 2011
  52. ^ "History of Niagara Falls Daredevils - Robert Overacker". Niagara Falls Info. 3 February 2017. Retrieved 3 September 2020.
  53. ^ Baker, David R (1995), "Californian Killed in Niagara Falls Stunt", Los Angeles Times, retrieved 17 August 2013
  54. ^ Info Niagara (2011), Robert Overacker, retrieved 29 July 2011
  55. ^ a b O'Brien, John (16 June 2017). "Kirk Jones, who survived historic Niagara Falls plunge, dies in return 14 years later". syracuse. Retrieved 3 September 2020.
  56. ^ a b "Niagara Falls Jumper Resists Rescue". www.cbsnews.com. CBS News. 11 March 2009. Retrieved 2 September 2020.
  57. ^ Poisson, Jayme; McKnight, Zoe (19 August 2011). "Body pulled from Niagara River identified as Japanese student". thestar.com. Retrieved 3 September 2020.
  58. ^ Lendon, Brad (19 August 2011). "Body of woman swept over Niagara Falls recovered". CNN. Retrieved 3 September 2020.
  59. ^ CBC (2011), Niagara Falls victim identified as Japanese student, CBC News, retrieved 17 August 2011
  60. ^ "Woman swept over Niagara Falls, presumed drowned". Yahoo! News. Associated Press. 2011. Retrieved 15 August 2011.
  61. ^ BBC (15 August 2011), Japan student swept over Canadian Niagara Falls, BBC News, retrieved 16 August 2011
  62. ^ Body of Japanese teen found below Niagara Falls, MSNBC News, 2011, retrieved 20 August 2011 {{citation}}: Unknown parameter |agency= ignored (help)[dead link]
  63. ^ a b Lynch, Rene (21 May 2012). "At Niagara Falls, man goes over; in Washington state, boy hangs on". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 2 September 2020.
  64. ^ Warner, Gene (2012), "Woman swept to death over Niagara Falls", Buffalo News, retrieved 26 May 2012
  65. ^ a b Law, John (16 June 2017). "Kirk Jones could not survive Falls a second time". Niagara Falls Review. Retrieved 3 September 2020.
  66. ^ Davis, Clint (16 June 2017), Man dies taking Niagara Falls plunge inside inflatable ball, Buffalo, NY: WKBW News, retrieved 5 August 2017
  67. ^ a b "Man goes over Horseshoe Falls, survives with non-life threatening injuries". WIVB. 8 July 2019.
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