The Flying Wallendas did a hell of a lot of falling
The Flying Wallendas are the world famous circus act and group of daredevil stunt performers who perform highwire acts without a safety net.
I recently learned about their history, and it’s surprising to say the least.
Their decision to perform without a net came as an accident. In 1928, after performing for years in Europe and Cuba, they debuted their act in the United States at the Madison Square Garden. Their net was lost in transit, so desperate to make a good first impression, Karl Wallenda’s team of four (including his brother and future wife) performed without a net.
The crowd gave them a thunderous standing ovation.
The Flying Wallendas never used a net again.
This turned out to be a terrible decision.
They got the nickname “the flying Wallendas” in 1942 after a fall during an Akron, Ohio performance. A reporter who saw it said, “The Wallendas fell so gracefully that it seemed as if they were flying.”
Nobody was hurt in that accident.
The team grew in size, survived the Hartford Circus Fire in 1944 that killed 167 people, and went 44 years without a major accident.
Then in 1962, while performing at the Shrine Circus at Detroit’s State Fair Coliseum, their seven person pyramid chair collapsed, sending three men to their death, including Karl Wallenda’s son-in-law and his nephew. Wallenda himself suffered a pelvic injury, his son was paralyzed from the waist down, and one other person suffered a severe head injury.
Undeterred, they continued performing without a net.
One year later, in 1963, Wallenda’s sister-in-law, Rietta, fell to her death.
His son-in-law Richard Guzman, was killed in 1972 after touching a live electric wire while holding part of the metal rigging.
On March 22, 1978, during a promotional walk in San Juan, Puerto Rico, Karl fell from the wire and died. He was 73 years-old.
You’d think they’d had enough.
Nope.
In February of 2017, the pyramid collapsed again, plummeting five of the performers to the ground while three others managed to cling to the wire. Miraculously no one was killed, but all five performers were severely injured. Lijana Wallenda suffered the worst injuries, breaking nearly every bone in her face.
They still perform today without a net.
Almost 100 years ago, a net was lost in transit. An audience rose in thunderous applause. A fateful decision was made.
Five people would eventually die was a result. Half a dozen more would be seriously or permanently injured.
