Andrew Jenkins, English Daredevil

by Science Source

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Andrew Jenkins, English Daredevil

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Science Source

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Photograph - Photograph

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Andrew Jenkins (May 3, 1844 ) was an English funambulist. At the age of 15 Jenkins was taken to Niagara Falls by his father to see Blondin perform his stunt of walking across the Niagara Gorge on a tight rope. Determined to be a daredevil like Blondin he strung a rope between two trees in his backyard and practiced rope walking. Everything Blondin did, Jenkins practiced. His first appearance was performed at a high school picnic on a rope 50 feet above the ground. Jenkins, also called "the Professor" performed his stunt Niagara Falls on August 26th 1869. The "Canadian Blondin" crossed the Niagara River gorge on a 4 inch diameter rope measuring 1040 feet long on a bicycle named the "doon bike". He was 25 years of age at the time. He never returned to Niagara Falls to attempt any other stunts. For 14 years after he performed his stunt Niagara Falls he repeated his performances at different locations across Canada and United States. After retiring he opened a photography shop in Dunnville, Ontario. He was nearly blinded when a bottle of ammonia exploded. He retained partial vision in only one eye. He died in 1924 at the age of 80.

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December 12th, 2017

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