I Wouldn't Do That: The History of Extreme Daredevils

When asked by a reporter why George Mallory wanted to climb Mount Everest his answer was simply, "Because it is there." Since the beginning of time there have been great and foolish feats conquered by men and women daredevils. Their names linger in our history just as prominent as the fore fathers of our nation. Barreling down Niagara Falls, ascending Mount Everest, and skydiving may be well known accomplishments, but they started with one person; one daredevil.

The second largest falls on this planet, Niagara Falls, is more than a honeymoon attraction. In 1901 Annie Taylor survived a barrel ride down the falls that would prompt future daredevils to act out there fantasy adventures. The 63 year old school teacher was lucky, however, many daredevils are not. According to www.niagrafallslive.com, 2 people have lost their lives in the past 10 years trying to conquer Niagara. One of those people was Red Hill Junior who's' father spent his life searching for the remains of such daredevils who risked the falls. Despite the tragedies, daredevils are still attracted to Mother Nature's dangerous wonder.

Mount Everest is another natural marvel. According to www.everestnews.com, this peak is about 29,029 ft tall. There have been many attempts to ascend this towering rock. In fact, according to www.mnteverest.net, there are about 120 corpses still remaining atop Mount Everest. The first people to ascend this dangerous landscape were Sir Edmond Hillary from New Zealand, and Tenzing Norgay from Nepal. In 1996 the mountain claimed its highest victim count claiming 15 lives in an avalanche, including the famous guide, Rob Hall. This mountain has claimed many lives including the famous George Mallory quoted above, yet still attracts many new daredevils each year. Many are seeking to set new records or better the old ones.

Although Mother Nature can be credited with creating a daredevils playground giving us extreme peaks, falls, and other dangerous landscapes, we can not blame all of our adventures on her. Skydiving was invented with the pure imagination of mankind. Since before Leonardo Da Vinci's famous drawings, mankind has been fascinated with flight. Although skydiving is relatively safe now days, people have been parachuting since before the first airplane was invented. The man responsible for the craze may have been Jacques Garnerin from France. According to www.batnet.com, Jacques ascended to 3200 ft before jumping out of his hot air balloon on October 22, 1797. However, a Hungarian named Fauste Veranzio jumped from the Bell Tower of Venice, Italy before Jacques had his turn. According to www.parachutehistory.com, the date is either 1595 or 1617, (accounts vary). Even though this activity has become more common place, it still remains an extreme daredevil feat.

As you can see, humans have been taking on their fears since history began. As the legends gather dust, the adventures continue. Everyday records are broken and lives are taken by the perilous adventures, but still people will continue to follow their daredevil ideas as they are taken to new highs, lows, and everything in between.