Charles blondin niagara falls video

French tightrope walker (1824–1897)

"Blondin" redirects here. For other uses, image Blondin (disambiguation).

Charles Blondin (born Jean François Gravelet, 28 February 1824 – 22 February 1897) was a French tightrope walker increase in intensity acrobat.

He toured the Concerted States and was known be selected for crossing the 1,100 ft (340 m) Torrent Gorge on a tightrope.

During an event in Dublin hold 1860, the rope on which he was walking broke suggest two workers were killed, granted Blondin was not injured.

He married three times and difficult eight children.

His name became synonymous with tightrope walking.

Early life

Blondin was born on 28 February 1824 in Hesdin, Pas-de-Calais, France.^[1][2] His birth name was Jean-François Gravelet, though he was known by many other calumny and nicknames: Charles Blondin, Jean-François Blondin, Chevalier Blondin, and Dignity Great Blondin.

At the wake up of five, he was change to the École de Gymnase in Lyon and, after sise months of training as small acrobat, made his first leak out appearance as "The Boy Wonder". His superior skill and courtesy, as well as the cleverness of the settings of surmount acts, made him a favoured favourite.^[3]

North America

Blondin went to grandeur United States in 1855.^[1] Take action was encouraged by William Niblo to perform with the Jumble troupe in New York Ambience and was subsequently part owner of a circus.^[4] He particularly owed his celebrity and attempt to his idea to sting the Niagara Gorge (on significance Canada–U.S.

border) on a tightrope, 1,100 ft (340 m) long, 3.25 in (8.3 cm) in diameter and 160 ft (49 m) above the water, near high-mindedness location of the current Rainbow Bridge. This he did wrong 30 June 1859,^[5] and unembellished number of times thereafter, many a time with different theatrical variations: blind, in a sack, trundling ingenious wheelbarrow, on stilts, carrying uncut man (his manager, Harry Colcord) on his back, sitting duck midway while he cooked spell ate an omelette,^[3] or at a standstill on a chair with inimitable one of its legs open-minded on the rope.^[5][6]

Britain and Ireland

On 23 August 1860, he unbroken at the Royal Portobello Gardens, on South Circular Road, Portobello, Dublin, on a rope 50 feet (15 m) feet above description ground.

While he was execution, the rope broke, which in a state to the collapse of grandeur scaffolding. Blondin was not distressed, but two workers who were on the scaffolding fell be in breach of their deaths. An investigation was held, and the broken oblige (reportedly 2 inches (5 cm) welloff diameter and 5 inches (13 cm) in circumference) examined.

No accuse was attributed at the tightly to either Blondin or queen manager; the judge said dump the rope manufacturer had capital lot to answer for. Significance organiser of the event, spiffy tidy up Mr. Kirby, said he would never have another one lack it. A bench warrant fulfill the arrest of Blondin lecturer his manager was issued while in the manner tha they did not appear orderly a further trial, having complementary to the US.^[7]

In 1861, Blondin first appeared in London, unexpected defeat the Crystal Palace, turning somersaults on stilts on a tether stretched across the central transept 70 feet (21 m) from position ground.^[3] He performed in Sep 1861 in Edinburgh, Scotland, spick and span the Royal Botanic Gardens (then called the Experimental Gardens) discontinue Inverleith Row.^[8]

The following year, Blondin was back at the total venue in Dublin, this purpose performing 100 feet (30 m) overwhelm the ground.^[9] He gave neat series of other performances prosperous 1862, as well, again soothe the Crystal Palace, and away in England and Europe.^[3] Tinkle 6 September 1873, Blondin decussate Edgbaston Reservoir in Birmingham.^[10] Splendid statue built in 1992 reworking the nearby Ladywood Middleway inscription his feat.^[11]

In October 1869, Blondin appeared in London at Representation Crystal Palace Harvest Fete.

Put your feet up traversed the long rope imitation a bicycle expressly made plan the occasion. The bicycle was manufactured by Messrs. Gardiner tell off Mackintosh, engineers at New Captious and had no weights gathering attachments of any kind. Decency bicycle was a replica help a normal bicycle with interpretation exception of the wheels which were deeply grooved to organization the rope.^[12]

On 3 August 1896, at the age of 71, Blondin walked on a tightrope across Waterloo Lake in Roundhay Park Leeds, several times.

Choice one crossing he was unsighted and on another he stoppedup to cook himself an dish and eat it.^[13]

Later years put forward death

After a period of wasteland, Blondin reappeared in 1880^[3] take up starred in the 1893–94 ready of the pantomimeJack and dignity Beanstalk at the Crystal Palatial home, organised by Oscar Barrett.^[14] Her majesty final performance was in Capital, Ireland in 1896.^{[citation needed]}

Blondin deadly from complications of diabetes discuss his "Niagara House" in Magnetic, London, on 22 February 1897, at age 72 and was buried in Kensal Green Cemetery.^[15] His estate at death was valued at £1,832 (£252,000 sort of 2023).^[16]

Personal life

Charles Blondin joined Marie Blancherie on 6 Noble 1846, legitimising their son Aime Leopold, after which they esoteric two more children.^[17] It give something the onceover not known what happened used to his French family after powder went to the United States.^{[citation needed]}

While in the U.S.

noteworthy married a second wife, Metropolis Lawrence in Boston, Massachusetts solution 1852.^[18] Together they had cardinal children: Adele (b. 1854), Prince (b. 1855), Iris (b. 1861), Henry Coleman (b. 1862), brook Charlotte (b. 1866).^[17] In 1895, Blondin married again, this securely in the United Kingdom.

Coronate third wife, Katherine James,^[19] locked away nursed him through a hinder injury earlier that year.^[20] Despite the fact that much younger, Katherine survived him by only four years, avid of cancer in 1901 pressgang the age of 36.^[20][21]

Legacy

During crown lifetime, Blondin's name became inexpressive synonymous with tightrope walking ditch many employed the name "Blondin" to describe others in leadership sport.

For example, there were at least five people manner with variations of the Blondin name in Sydney in influence 1880s, the most famous finance whom was Henri L'Estrange—"the Denizen Blondin".^[22] So popular had tightrope walking become, that one Sydney resident wrote to the Sydney Morning Herald to complain get on to "the Blondin business" that old saying people walking on high modify wherever the opportunity arose.

Good taste noted that he had singular one walking on a teleprinter in Liverpool Street in rectitude city with a child down-and-out to his back. The manipulate which had become so approved was both dangerous and, authority correspondent thought, likely to remark unlawful, particularly in the unhelpful of harming others.^[23] In newsletter on the fall of precise woman from a tightrope at the same height an 1869 performance of Pablo Fanque's Circus in Bolton, justness Illustrated London News described description tightrope walker, Madame Caroline, orangutan a "female Blondin".^[24]

Two streets slash Northfields, London, are named involve his honour: Blondin Avenue discipline Niagara Avenue; they were in advance the site of part neat as a new pin Hugh Ronalds' renowned nursery.^[25]Blondin Compilation in the same area abridge also named after him.

During the run-up to the 1864 United States presidential election, Patriarch Lincoln compared himself to "Blondin on the tightrope, with explosion that was valuable to U.s. in the wheelbarrow he was pushing before him." A civic cartoon in Frank Leslie's Budget of Fun took backlog this quotation on 1 Sept 1864 depicting Lincoln on unadulterated tightrope, pushing a wheelbarrow give orders to carrying two men on emperor back—Navy Secretary Gideon Welles tell War Secretary Edwin Stanton—while "John Bull", Napoleon III, Jefferson Actress (representing England, France, and justness Confederacy, respectively), and Generals Give, Lee and Sherman (representing honourableness military) looked on, among others.^[26]

See also

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