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)   

Stewart Robert "Bob" Einstein (November 20, 1942 – January 2, 2019)

(Variety) – Bob Einstein, an offbeat comedian and writer whose career 
stretched from “The Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour” to “Curb Your
Enthusiasm,” has died.

Einstein died Wednesday in Indian Wells, Calif. He had been recently diagnosed with cancer.

Bob Einstein, aka Super Dave Osborne,
The World’s Greatest Daredevil Stuntman.

Harry Houdini (Erik Weisz/Harry Weiss)
(March 24, 1874 – October 31, 1926)

Houdini was a magician and escape artist whose most difficult stunt entailed
escaping from handcuffs that took a locksmith five years to build.

In his youth, he took a job as a trapeze artist under the name Ehrich, the
Prince of the Air, and was a successful cross-country runner. Houdini made
several movies, but quit acting when it failed to bring in money. He was also
was an accomplished aviator (below), and aimed to become the first man to
fly a plane in Australia.

 
        Hal Brett Needham (March 6, 1931 – October 25, 2013)

LOS ANGELES (AP) –  Hal Needham, a top Hollywood stuntman who
turned to directing rousing action films including "Smokey and the Bandit"
(1977) and "The Cannonball Run” (1981).

His business managers tell the Los Angeles Times that Needham died on
Friday in Los Angeles.

A former paratrooper, Needham was a billboard model for Viceroy Cigarettes
while beginning a career in Hollywood as a motion picture stuntman. He had 
appeared in thousands of TV episodes and hundreds of movies, performing
and designing stunts and new equipment to execute them.

Needham’s first break was as the stunt double for actor Richard Boone on
the popular CBS-TV western Have Gun, Will Travel (1957-1963).

Needham jumped from planes, was dragged by horses and wrecked cars —
breaking 56 bones in the process. He received an honorary Oscar last year.

   Harry Houdini (Erik Weisz) (March 24, 1874 – October 31, 1926)

Houdini performing his "Chinese Water Torture Cell" trick  

Portland appearance in 1915