On the morning of July 15, 1961, a man calling himself Nathan Boya climbed into a strange, oversized sphere and prepared to go over Niagara Falls.
But that wasn’t his real name.
His real name was William Fitzgerald, a 29-year-old, highly educated man who knew exactly what he was doing. By this time, going over Horseshoe Falls was illegal, and Fitzgerald didn’t want his real identity tied to the stunt.
So he brought an alias.
And a plan.
Fitzgerald had designed his own device, a massive 10-foot-wide, 1,200-pound sphere made of steel and rubber. He called it the Plunge-O-Sphere.
Not a barrel.
Not a capsule.
A giant ball.
That day, he became the first African-American to go over Niagara Falls.
As the sphere disappeared over the edge and into the churning waters below, onlookers waited. Moments later, it resurfaced in the Niagara River, where staff from the Maid of the Mist were able to retrieve it.
Fitzgerald emerged shaken, but alive.
Waiting for him were the Niagara Parks Police.
When asked his name, he gave them “Nathan Boya.”
He became the first person charged and convicted under the Niagara Parks Act for performing a stunt without permission, officially for failing to obtain a ceremonial permit for an act likely to attract a crowd.
He was fined $100, plus $13 in costs.
Despite being, in his own words, “scared stiff,” he suffered only minor cuts and bruises.
“I had to do it,” he later said. “I wanted to do it, and I’m glad I did it.”
Standing at the edge of Horseshoe Falls, it’s easy to focus on the power of the water.
But stories like William Fitzgerald add something more.
This wasn’t just a reckless stunt. It was planned, calculated, and carried out by someone who understood both the danger and the consequences, and went ahead anyway.
Hearing this story while looking at the Falls makes it feel real. The height, the force, the distance to the river below, and suddenly, it’s not just a view.
It’s a place where someone made a decision they couldn’t take back.
There’s a big difference between reading about Niagara Falls and standing at the edge of it.
Feel the power. Hear the roar. See the exact places where these incredible stories unfolded.
Join us on a guided day tour and experience Niagara beyond the postcard, with the history, the details, and the moments most visitors miss.
Best Niagara Falls tour in Canada for 20 years.
