Anna "Annie" Edson Taylor (October 24, 1838 – April 29, 1921)

On October 24, 1901, a 63-year-old schoolteacher named Annie
Edson Taylor became the first person to successfully take the
plunge over Niagara Falls in a barrel.

After her husband died in the Civil War, the New York-born
Taylor  moved all over the U. S. before settling in Bay City,
Michigan, around 1898. In July 1901, while reading an article
about the       


Pan-American Exposition in Buffalo, she learned of the growing popularity of two enormous waterfalls located on the border of
upstate New York and Canada. Strapped for cash and seeking
fame, Taylor came up with the perfect attention-getting stunt:
She would go over Niagara Falls in a barrel.

Her motives were financial but she never made much money
from her adventure. She died penniless and her funeral was
paid for by public donations. (From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia)