|
Robert Craig Knievel
was born
October 17,
1938
in Butte, Montana. He became the world's
most famous motorcycle daredevil and has inspired countless of other motorcycle
jumpers to follow his path.
In
1965
he began his daredevil career in a motorcycle daredevil
show called,
"Evel Knievel's
Motorcycle Daredevils".
In
1966,
he left the group to pursue a solo career. One of his first big jumps
was in Gardena, California over
16 cars
at Ascot Speedway. This jump was the first off many
to be covered by ABC's Wide World of Sports.
It wasn't until
December
31, 1967
that Evel became a househould name.
He attempted to jump his Triumph over the
fountains
at Caesars Palace
in Las Vegas. He cleared
the fountains but had one of the worst motorcycle crashes ever caught
on tape. He was in a coma for a month. After that horrible incident, his
career literally skyrocketed.
In
1971,
he
sat a new world record in by jumping
19 cars
and had a movie made about his life. Whenever Evel
spoke, people listened. He was the master of showmanship and promotion.
His toys became one of the most successful selling in the 1970's.
In the summer of
1974,
Evel
jump
13 semi-trucks
in Canada to set another record. This was his last big jump before his
most famous stunt that following in September.
On
September 8, 1974,
Evel attempted to jump the
Snake River Canyon
in what he called his skycycle. He unfortunately didn't make it across
the 1/4 mile
|
King
of the Daredevils
Evel Knievel giving a speach to his
fans in 1979 during a tour in Australia.
Evel jumping over the fountains at Caesars Palace.
December 31, 1967.
|
canyon,
but he survived one of his most dangerous stunts yet. This was one of
the so called "happenings" of the 1970's.
May of 1975,
Evel traveled
to England to jump
13 buses
at
Wembley Stadium
in
the U.K. In front of a sold out crowd, Evel attempted his farthest jump
yet. Unfortunately he didn't have enough speed and landed on the last
bus which sent him crashing onto the grounds of Wembley. At this jump,
Evel vowed he would never jump again. Of course he couldn't quit.
In October of that same year, he triumphantly came back to attempt to
jump
14 Greyhound buses
at
Kings Island Ohio. He landed on the 14th bus, but held on. This was one
of his last big jumps. He went on to jump some more and also starred in
an action movie called,
"Viva Knievel"
in
1977.
In
1979,
he toured Australia as an emcee for a touring daredevil show featuring
stunt performers from around the world. Eventually he retired in the early
80's from jumping, but he helped Robbie for awhile promoting his jumps.
Today Evel is back in the spotlight again. Making personal appearances
and starring in television commercials. He received a
new
liver
in early
1999
after contracting hepatitist C. Evel also
remarried
in late
1999.
His wedding took
place at Caesars Palace.
After all these years, Evel still is the
"King
of the Daredevils".
Let's see what he
has instore for us in the 21 Century!
|