Sam Patch (1799[1] – November 13, 1829; some sources believed his birth year to be 1807) was known as "The Jersey Jumper", "The Daring Yankee",[2] or the "Yankee Leaper"[3] became the first famous American daredevil after successfully jumping from a raised platform into the Niagara River near the base of Niagara Falls in 1829.