Charles Blondin | |
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Born | Jean François Gravelet 28 February 1824 Hesdin, Pas-de-Calais, France |
Died | 22 February 1897 Ealing, London, England | (aged 72)
Occupation | Tightrope walker |
Spouses |
Charlotte Lawrence (died 1888)Katherine James (m. 1895) |
Children | 8 |
Charles Blondin (born Jean François Gravelet, 28 February 1824 – 22 February 1897) was a French tightrope walker and acrobat. He toured the United States and was known for crossing the 1,100 ft (340 m) Niagara Gorge on a tightrope.
During an event in Dublin in 1860, the rope on which he was walking broke and two workers were killed, although Blondin was not injured.
He married three times and had eight children. His name became synonymous with tightrope walking.