Not being much of a daredevil, I wasn’t impressed by stunts like Evel Knievel’s motorcycle jumps. Recently, however, a couple of more interesting examples were brought to my attention recently by BBC News.
The first was successfully completed by a magician (aka daredevil) named David Blaine. At New York’s Pier 54, he spent three days and three nights standing in the middle of 1 million volts of electric currents.
Internet photos of the event on were stunning. To avoid being burnt to a crisp, Blaine wore a chain mail bodysuit, reminiscent of medieval knights. It was supposed to serve as a barrier between him and the currents, emitted by high-voltage coils.
Before being taken to a hospital (mental?) for examination, Blaine was able to walk (with assistance), and (on his own) to speak and kiss his fiancée, who was present throughout the ordeal.
Blaine's past stunts include hanging upside down over Central Park and being encased in a block of ice. I suppose he is working up to some really big challenge. What next?
Another daredevil wearing a special outfit is Austrian adventurer Felix Baumgartner, who last week remained frustrated in his attempt to make the highest ever skydive. He wears a pressurized suit similar to those used by astronauts.
Unfavorable winds at Roswell, New Mexico, prevented the launch of the helium balloon that was to take him aloft to more than 120,000 ft. (23 miles).It will take him three hours to reach that height. Most of us associate Roswell with the rumored UFO landing of 1947.
Baumgartner—famous for jumping off skyscrapers—hopes to become the first human to break the sound barrier unaided by a vehicle. Because of the thinness of the atmosphere at 120,000ft., he would accelerate rapidly once he stepped out of his balloon's capsule.
Calculations suggest he could achieve Mach 1 (around 690mph) at the target altitude—within 40 seconds. Tuesday morning he sat on the ground in the pressurized capsule waiting for a 55-story, ultra-thin helium balloon to fill and carry him into the stratosphere. Alas, then a 25 mph wind gust came on the scene.
The stiff wind spun the still-inflating balloon like a giant plastic grocery bag, raising concerns about whether it was damaged. The balloon is so delicate that it can take off only if winds are no more than 2 mph on the ground. So the Tuesday launch was scrubbed.
While Baumgartner hopes to set four world records in all when he jumps, his dive is dangerous. Others who have tried to break the free fall records have lost their lives in the process.
Back to Evel Knievel, I respect one of his records: Survivor of “most bones broken in a lifetime” (433). He died of lung disease in 2007 at age 69.
Jerry Lincecum is a retired English professor who now teaches classes for older adults who want to write their life stories. He welcomes your reminiscences on any subject: jlincecum@me.com