It's Dark Inside this Niagara Falls Barrel! Quiz

Answer: True

To celebrate her 63rd birthday, Annie Edson Taylor thought she'd go over the Falls in a pickle barrel in 1901. The barrel was sealed with Annie, compressed air from a bicycle pump, an anvil for ballast, and her lucky pillow inside. It must have been a little bit lucky as she survived the journey with only minor injuries including a cut on her head.

It took 17 minutes after her descent to rescue the barrel and Annie. She became known as the 'Heroine of Niagara Falls' but died with nary a penny to her name in 1921.

She did warn others against emulating her feat by saying 'If it was with my dying breath, I would caution anyone against attempting the feat.'

Answer: Circus performer

Bobby Leach was a performer with the Barnum and Bailey Circus. His ambitions for the Falls included going over the Falls in a barrel, travelling through the whirlpool in a barrel, and parachuting from the suspension bridge. He went over Horseshoe Falls in 1911 in a specially constructed, eight-foot long metal barrel. Rescuing Bobby took 22 minutes and his rescuers found him with two broken knee caps and a fractured jaw. A few years later he tried to swim across the rapids but failed thanks to efforts of sensible rescuers who stopped all his attempts.

Bobby Leach did cash in on his barrel ride by touring North America and the UK, telling audiences of his trip over the Falls and exhibiting the barrel. Despite all that derring-do, his life ended quite unspectacularly. He died in his late 60s after slipping on a piece of fruit. His leg became infected, gangrene set in, and complications from the infection ended his life.

Answer: Test the barrel before going over

Charles Stephens was an English barber who started performing stunts to help provide a living for his wife Annie and their eleven children. On one of his arms was a tattoo saying 'Forget me not Annie'.

After his successful venture over the falls, Bobby Leach suggested Charles Stephens test his barrel before trying to go over. Stephens ignored this. His arms were fastened to the barrel while his legs were strapped to the anvil in the base of the barrel which was intended to keep the barrel upright once it hit the water. The barrel reached the bottom of the Falls and the anvil smashed through the base, dragging poor Charles to the bottom of the Falls with it. The only part of his body that was retrieved was one tattooed arm which was duly buried in Niagara Falls, Ontario.

Answer: His pet turtle

George was a mystic who worked as a chef in Buffalo. He hoped fame from his adventure would help in his quest to publish a book on his metaphysical experiences and religious mysticism. He planned the trip quite well. He had a 2,000 pound wooden and steel barrel that he'd made himself.

He took several hours' worth of oxygen in a tank with him. He put his pet turtle, Sonny Boy, in the barrel and off they went. George survived the plunge over Horseshoe Falls but his foresight hadn't included the possibility of the barrel being stuck behind the Falls' massive wall of water.

The relentless wall of water prevented rescuers reaching him and Sonny Boy for 22 hours. The oxygen supply was exhausted and George had suffocated in the barrel after surviving the descent. Sonny Boy survived and was rescued.

Answer: Legislation was passed banning stunts in the Niagara Parks

William Hill Jr's father was famed for rescuing many people from the Niagara River and its rapids. His son desired fame and fortune from the national landmark and began a string of daredevil stunts in 1945. He successfully, if painfully, rode the river rapids in barrels and gained a certain amount of fame, if not fortune. His family's stocks reached rock-bottom when bailiffs came to take his possessions, including the barrels he used, to satisfy creditors' demands. This spurred his decision to go over the Falls.

He created a barrel-like structure from inner tubes and canvas webbing. At the age of 38 in 1951, he took the plunge from Ushers Creek on the Canadian side of the Falls. His mother, wife and ten-year-old daughter were all spectators to his demise. His 'barrel' broke on the surface of the water into bits. William Hill Jr's body was found the next day, his brothers Wesley, Norman and Major participating in the search.

The public outcry after his death motivated officials to ban stunts in the Niagara Falls area.

Answer: Plunge-O-Sphere

Nathan Boya was a thirty-year-old New York man when he took a trip over the Falls in 1961. He didn't use a barrel, opting instead for a ball made of steel and rubber. He also ensured he had oxygen to last up to thirty hours as well as an air purifier which would remove the carbon dioxide. The sphere, with him inside it, weighed over 1,000 pounds yet only suffered a dent when it hit the rocks at the base of the Falls. He succeeded in his mission but he was arrested when he emerged from the sphere and subsequently fined $100.

Nathan Boya wasn't our adventurer's real name. He was really William Fitzgerald. When he was extricated from the Plunge-O-Sphere, he told rescuers that he was Nathan Boya. Unlike his predecessors, fame and fortune weren't motivations for him. Fitzgerald went on to academic studies, attaining a doctorate in sociology and then pursued post-graduate studies. He is credited with various quotes which somewhat explain his motivation including 'I had to do it, I wanted to do it, and I am glad I did it.' and 'I have integrated Niagara Falls.' Perhaps we'll never know his real motivation as when pressed for a reason by journalists, he replied 'I know why, but nobody else does. It was a very personal reason.'

Answer: Moped

Karel Soucek liked a bit of danger in his life. His resumé included motocross racing, stunt flying, wing walking and sky diving. He billed himself as the 'Last of the Niagara Daredevils' and vowed that if someone replicated the stunt after him, he would do it again so he would be the last person over the Falls. His 'career' at Niagara Falls began in 1976 when he rigged a modified moped with the aim of traversing the cables which normally carry a passenger car over the Falls' whirlpool. His attempt failed when equipment problems developed, a harness being the only thing saving him from the water below.

After test runs with several barrels, he finally put himself in a barrel and went over the Falls in 1984. He was recovered and treated for only minor injuries. Like Nathan Boya 23 years before, he was fined for illegally performing a stunt.

Several months later in 1985, Soucek was killed in a stunt show in Houston, Texas. His barrel was put atop a 180ft tower and destined to drop into a 9ft deep pool of water. The pool was only 12 ft in diameter and the barrel hit the edge before falling into the water. In front of 40,000 spectators, Soucek was removed from the barrel with critical injuries and died less than an hour later. Evel Knievel was a spectator at the show and had tried to dissuade Soucek from the stunt. He called it 'the most dangerous stunt I've ever seen.'

Answer: Go over the Falls twice

Dave Munday went over the Falls in 1985 and 1993. His first trip was made in an aluminium and plastic barrel, while his second venture was made in a modified diving bell. Like Karel Soucek, he was a thrill-seeker with a history as a skydiving instructor, helicopter and aeroplane pilot. He has also made crossings of the whirlpool and rapids, receiving fines for all his exploits.

As crazy at it might seem, a person has gone over the Falls without any protection. Kirk Jones, a Michigan resident, decided to plunge over the precipice with only the clothes on his back in 2003. No helmet, no padding, no barrel, nothing! He survived, being rescued with only minor injuries. For his troubles, he was fined and banned from entering Canada again. Possibly worse than his banishment from Canada was the report that his friend who was charged with filming the stunt couldn't work the camera thanks to inebriation so there is no video record of this stunt. Another report suggests the stunt was filmed but the evidence was retained by the police. Jones claimed his stunt was provoked by depression but having survived the wild ride, his will to live was renewed.

Robert Overcracker decided a good way of promoting awareness of homelessness was to ride a jetski over the Falls in 1995. The parachute which should have gently eased him down into the water failed to open and his body was later recovered by the Maid of the Mist.

Answer: First time two people went over together

Peter DeBernardi had looked at Niagara Falls as challenge for quite some time but he wanted to be different. He looked for a partner in the venture, aiming to be one half of the first duo to take a big dip over the Falls. He approached Dave Munday but was rebuffed. He eventually met Jeffrey Petkovich, a 24-year-old student who agreed to partner him in the venture. DeBernardi had constructed a barrel with a small oxygen supply, two hatches, plexi-glass windows so they could watch the view, and a keel for direction. The pair was successful, emerging from the barrel without injury. They, of course, were fined for adventure and the fine was increased to $10,000 per person.

The first time animals were deliberately sent over the Falls occurred in 1827. A boat with twelve animals, some held captive with ties or in a cage, were sent over the precipice with only one animal, a goose, surviving.

Answer: Kayak

Jessie Sharp, a 28-year-old man from Tennessee, had long aimed to descend the Falls, but not in a barrel. He had kayaked for years and was very experienced and confident. Jesse was so supremely confident that he booked for dinner at a restaurant downstream for later that day.

He declined the use of a helmet as he wanted his face to be visible on the film taken by his support crew. He also eschewed use of a life jacket thinking that it would impede his escape from under the Falls if he were trapped.

His plan was for the kayak to gain enough momentum in the approach to the Falls to propel him far enough out from the danger zone directly underneath them. Tragically, the Falls claimed another victim with Jessie's body never being found. His kayak was found downstream with barely a dent.