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Karl Wallenda

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Nationality
  
German-American

Name
  
Karl Wallenda

Siblings
  
Hermann Wallenda


Karl Wallenda Flying Wallenda Family Nik Wallenda Karl Wallenda

Born
  
January 21, 1905 (
1905-01-21
)
Magdeburg, German Empire

Occupation
  
Daredevil, Circus Performer

Relatives
  
Nik Wallenda (great-grandson)

Died
  
March 22, 1978, San Juan, Puerto Rico

Abc news death of karl wallenda 1978


Karl Wallenda (January 21, 1905 – March 22, 1978) was a German-American high wire artist and founder of The Flying Wallendas, a daredevil circus act which performed dangerous stunts, often without a safety net. He was the great-grandfather of current performer Nik Wallenda.

Contents

Karl Wallenda The rich tragic history of daredevil Wallendas CBS News

Karl Wallenda Quotes


Personal life

Karl Wallenda Wallenda

Wallenda, born in Magdeburg, Germany, in 1905, began performing with his family at age six.

The Great Wallendas

Karl Wallenda Nik Wallenda plans to perform HEADSTANDS on a rope over

The Great Wallendas were noted throughout Europe for their four-man pyramid and cycling on the high wire. The act moved to the United States in 1928, performing as freelancers. In 1947 they developed the unequaled three-tier 7-Man Pyramid. Karl Wallenda had the idea since 1938, but it took until 1946, when he and his brother Hermann developed it and had the right acrobats for it. The Great Wallendas, a 1978 made-for-TV movie starring Karl Wallenda, depicts the act's comeback after a fatal accident involving several family members during a performance. Wallenda was killed in a high wire accident just 38 days after it was first broadcast.

Daredevil stunts

Karl Wallenda Wallenda Family Legacy Nik Wallenda39s Long Line of

On July 18, 1970, a 65-year-old Wallenda performed a high-wire walk, also known as a skywalk, across the Tallulah Gorge, a gorge formed by the Tallulah River in Georgia. An estimated 30,000 people watched Wallenda perform two headstands as he crossed the quarter-mile-wide gap.

Karl Wallenda The Flying Wallendas Chicago Tribune

In 1974, at 69 years old, he broke a world skywalk distance record of 1,800 feet (550 m) at Kings Island, a record that stood until July 4, 2008, when his grandson, Rick Wallenda, completed a 2,000-foot skywalk (610 m) at the same location.

Death

Karl Wallenda Karl Wallenda Wikipedia the free encyclopedia

Despite being involved in several tragedies in his family's acts, Wallenda continued with his stunts. In 1978, at age 73, Wallenda attempted a walk between the two towers of the ten-story Condado Plaza Hotel in San Juan, Puerto Rico, on a wire stretched 121 ft (37 metres) above the pavement. As a result of high winds and an improperly secured wire, he lost his balance and fell to his death during the attempt. A film crew from WAPA-TV in San Juan taped the fall with narration by anchorman Guillermo José Torres.

Family members

Karl Wallenda wwwfamouslydeadcomimageskarlwallendajpg

  • Nik Wallenda, Karl's great-grandson, continues the family tradition of performing stunts on highwire without a safety net, while at times wearing a safety harness.
  • Mario Wallenda, adopted son of Karl, fell along with Karl during an attempt to perform the 7-Person Pyramid on January 30, 1962, leaving him paralyzed from the waist down.
  • Karl Wallenda established the Wallenda Dynasty with his two daughters, Jenny and Carla.
  • Jenny's children, Tino, Delilah, and Tammy, formed their own troupes.
  • Carla helped train her children Rick, Rietta, Mario, and Valerie. Rick and Rietta still perform today. Valerie retired to raise her family and their brother Mario B. died in 1993.
  • The following great-grandchildren of Karl Wallenda perform today: Nik, Alida, Andrea, Aurelia, Alessandro "Alex", and Lyric.
    • Karl Wallenda AR150109941jpg

  • Salsa singer Marvin Santiago made constant references to Wallenda's death in a few of his songs, mostly as side comments.
  • Puerto Rican Reggaeton/Rap group Calle 13 make reference to Wallenda in their song Cabe-ce-o
  • The death of Wallenda's sister-in-law Rietta Wallenda is referred to in season 3 of the AMC program Mad Men, in the episode "Love Among the Ruins".
  • Wallenda's quote was used in the Movie Rounders "Like Papa Wallenda said, 'Life is on the wire, the rest is just waiting.'"
  • A more elegant version of this quote is attributed to Wallenda by sociologist Erving Goffman in his 1967 essay 'Where the Action is': "To be on the wire is life; the rest is waiting."
  • Athens, Georgia band Drive-By Truckers references the Wallendas in their song The Flying Wallendas on their 2010 CD The Big To-Do.
  • Karl Wallenda is mentioned in Tom Robbins' book Villa Incognito as well as in Stephen King's books Gerald's Game and The Tommyknockers.
  • Folk/Alternative singer/songwriter Bill Mallonee includes references to the Great Wallenda stepping out over Tallulah Gorge in his song "Balaam's Ass" from the 1995 audio album "Blister Soul", by the Vigilantes of Love.
  • British guitarist and composer Mike Walker wrote 'Wallenda's last stand' for The Impossible Gentleman's self-titled album on Basho records
  • Poet Raymond Carver wrote the eponymous "Poem for Karl Wallenda, Aerialist Supreme".
  • Motivational Business Journalist Harvey Mackay references Wallenda in his August 30, 2016 syndicated newspaper article entitled "Fear factor can create positives from the negatives". Mackay quotes Karl's widow commenting on her late husband's death as saying: "All Karl thought about for 3 straight months prior to the accident was falling. It seemed to me he put all his energy into not falling - not into walking the tightrope."
  • Karl Wallenda was mentioned in an episode of "Last Man Standing" as a part of one of the "Outdoor Man" blogs.

    • References

    Karl Wallenda Wikipedia
    (Text) CC BY-SA