Megastunts: Nik Wallenda Takes the First Step in His Tightrope Walk Over Niagara Falls

On July 2, 1984, Karel Soucek took his red barrel over the brink of Niagara Falls, surviving the fall with only minor cuts and scrapes. The Canadian stuntman wrote on his barrel "Last of the Niagara Daredevils - 1984" and "It's not whether you fail or triumph, it's that you keep your word... and at least try!" Prior to the stunt, Soucek had dropped empty test barrels into the river to test his design, and also dropped a barrel off the Niagara Escarpment in Hamilton to see how well it could handl