My friend Martin made a reference to Robert Craig “Evel” Knievel a few days ago and I thought it would be a good idea to give this man its own post. After all he is the greates daredevil of all times and inpiered kids around the world to get their bones broken.
He was born in Butte, Montana in 1938, the first of two children. He often said that his career choice was made after he attendend a Joie Chitwood Auto Daredevil Show, but he wanted to do it with a motorcycle. Almost every jump he made was with a Harley Davidson. He has the world record for bones broken: 433!
His first big break was jumping the Ceasars Palace fountains. To do so, ha had to get an audience with the casino’s CEO Jay Sarno, so Knievel created a fictitious corporation called Evel Knievel Enterprises and three fictitious lawyers to make phone calls to Sarno. Knievel also placed phone calls to Sarno claiming to be from ABC-TV and Sports Illustrated inquiring about the jump. Sarno finally agreed to meet Knievel and the deal was set for Knievel to jump the fountains on December 31, 1967. After the deal was set, Knievel tried to get ABC to air the event live on Wide World of Sports. ABC declined, but said that if Knievel had the jump filmed and it was as spectacular as he said it would be, they would consider using it later.
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On January 7 and January 8, 1971, Knievel set the record by selling over 100,000 tickets to back-to-back performances at the Houston Astrodome.
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On February 28, he set a new world record by jumping 19 cars with his Harley-Davidson XR-750 in Ontario, California. Knievel held the record for 27 years until Bubba Blackwell jumped 20 cars in 1998 with a XR-750.
On May 10, Knievel crashed while attempting to jump 13 Pepsi delivery trucks. His approach was complicated by the fact that he had to start on pavement, cut across grass, and then return to pavement. His lack of speed caused the motorcycle to come down front wheel first. He managed to hold on until the cycle hit the base of the ramp. After being thrown off he skidded for 50 feet (15 m). Knievel broke his collarbone, suffered a compound fracture of his right arm and broke both legs.
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In 1993, Evel Knievel was diagnosed with hepatitis C, apparently contracted during one of his many reconstructive surgeries. Knievel needed a liver transplant in 1999 as a result of the condition. Knievel died in Clearwater, Florida on November 30, 2007, aged 69. He had been suffering from diabetes and idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis for many years.
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