At 63 years old, Annie Edson Taylor became the first person to survive a plunge over Niagara Falls in a barrel. What began as a bold bid for fame ended in tragedy. Her story is one of daring, survival, and the high price of history.

Meet Bobby Leach — the daredevil who made history as the first man to survive a trip over Niagara Falls in a barrel. On July 25, 1911, he plunged over the Canadian Horseshoe Falls in a specially built steel barrel. He lived to tell the tale… but not without broken bones, months in the hospital, and a story that still amazes Niagara Falls visitors.

On July 11, 1920, the third person to go over Niagara Falls in a barrel was Charles Stephens, a 58 year old barber from Bristol, England. He had a blacksmith’s anvil with him to use as a ballast. His goal was to become famous by surviving his daring stunt and traveling around with his barrel, giving lectures.

This 37 year old French Canadian originally from Quebec, but living in Naigara Falls, New York, went over the Falls in a big, rubber ball. Jean was a machinist and designed it himself. This 6 ft. (1.8 m) ball was constructed around 2 steel frame pieces, was lined with rubber inner tubes filled with air, and weighed over 1,000 lbs. (454 kg).

On July 4th, 1930, George Strathakis, a 46 year old chef from Buffalo, New York, went over Niagara Falls, with his pet turtle, Sonny, in a heavy reinforced oak barrel, weighing a ton.