"Nobody ought ever to do that again."
495: Annie Edson Taylor
The First Person to Survive After Going Down Niagara Falls in a Barrel
Born: 24 October 1838, Auburn, New York, United States of America
Died: 29 April 1901, Lockport, New York, United States of America
Annie performed this stunt in 1901.
She was sixty-three years old and went down the falls with her cat.
On a regular day, Annie was an unassuming schoolteacher from Michigan. She was born into a family of eleven children and married at the age of eighteen. Annie’s marriage wasn’t a happy one, but her husband died relatively early on in her life.
Annie wanted both fame and fortune but only achieved the fame dying completely destitute twenty years later.
She remains the oldest person and the only solo woman to have survived going down the falls.
Badges Earned:
Find a Grave Marked
Located In My Personal Library:
Uppity Women Speak Their Minds by Vicki Leon
Who Knew Women in History by Sarah Herman
Sources:
http://www.infoniagara.com/niagaradaredevils/annietaylor.aspx
https://www.nytimes.com/2019/05/01/obituaries/annie-edson-taylor-overlooked.html
https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/7698828/annie-edson-taylor