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

Her motives were financial but she never made much money
from her adventure.

No matter the method, going over Niagara Falls is illegal, and
survivors face charges and stiff fines on either side of the
border.

Taylor, on her 63rd birthday, was accompanied by her cat.

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