The Willenda Family – Seven Generations of Tightrope Walkers [VIDEO]

I'm always impressed with extremely ,over-the-top gutsy people. It's not in my DNA, and I'm the first to admit it. However, there should be a legal limit to gutsiness, don't you think? Who does this Nik Willenda guy think he is anyway - one of the Flying Willendas? (Actually, he's related!)

Not trying to get all "history teacher" on ya, but I just thought I'd mention a bit of trivia about the Niagra Falls tightrope walker that I learned about. He is one of the Willendas, a Hungarian family (7 generations of them) and technically they have been performing for 400 years, primarily as circus performers.

According to Fox News.com:

The Great Wallendas were headliners with Ringling Brothers, Barnum & Bailey Circus during much of the 1930s and 1940s. Once in Akron, Ohio, the wire slipped slightly as they were performing. All four members fell to the wire, yet they were relatively unhurt. The next day, a reporter who witnessed the accident stated in the newspaper, "The Wallendas fell so gracefully that it seemed as if they were flying,", and the headline read "THE FLYING WALLENDAS." That name is still synonymous with the family to this day.

There's a great YouTube video that goes on for about 10 minutes, but if you'd like to get more of an overview of their accomplishments, this is fascination stuff. Here it is.

So there you have it. Yes, the guy is nuts, but he comes from a long line of them, and you have to respect these nuts for their continued guts - generation after generation. I for one am glad to see him keeping the tradition alive. I just hope he continues to remain so.

Filed Under: acrobatics, niagra falls, willendas

Categories: National News