Jean Lussier

Joseph Albert "Jean" Lussier (1891-1971) was a Canadian-American daredevil, best known for going over Niagara Falls on July 4, 1928. Unlike the daredevils who had gone over the Falls previously in wooden barrels, Lussier designed and built a 6 ft rubber ball lined with oxygen tubes, he rode over Niagara Falls. Lussier capitalized on his fame by moving to Niagara Falls and selling pieces of the ball to tourists and later used tires after the pieces of the ball ran out. In the 1950s, when Lussier was in his 60s, he talked about plans of building a bigger ball and going over the American Falls, but these were never realized and he retired in 1938. Lussier died of natural causes at the age of 80.