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Evel Knievel, originally named Robert Craig Knievel, was born in Butte, Montana on October 17, 1938. He is remembered for doing death-defying stunts. He started out doing his stunts at local fairs, then later expanded to doing shows at stadiums. His shows would almost always sell out. His most famous stunt was jumping from ramp to ramp on a motorcycle. His first jump was in 1966 in California. From then on, he attempted over 75 more motorcycle jumps. He was also known for his canyon jumping. He would use a steam powered rocket to cross canyons. He jumped over cars, busses, and a lot of his stunts were considered some of the greatest sporting events of all time. He also holds the Guinness Book of Records title of most bones broken in a lifetime (433 to be exact).
As a child, Evel lived without rules. When he was eight years old, he went to daredevil motorcycle show and that is when his love for stunting began. He ended up being a high school dropout and joined the army for s little while. He came home to marry Linda Bork and they had five children. He participated in rodeos, ski jumping events, and hockey seeking to fulfill his drive for thrill. Evel really wanted to jump the Grand Canyon but the United States government would not allow it. He fought a long legal battle with the United States but eventually still lost. In 2007 in Clearwater, Florida, Evel Knievel died at the age of 69 due to failing health from diabetes and idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis.
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Kyra Urquhart-Foster is a biology major at Georgia State University. She aspires to be a Physician Assistant after graduate school. She is from Suwanee, Georgia and enjoys playing volleyball, cooking with friends, and exploring all that Atlanta has to offer.
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