Tightrope walking
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Tightrope walking, also called funambulism, is the skill of walking along a thin wire or rope. It has a long tradition in various countries and is commonly associated with the circus. Other skills similar to tightrope walking include slack rope walking and slacklining.
The feet of a tightrope walker
Tightrope walking, Armenian manuscript, 1688
Maria Spelterini crossing Niagara Falls on July 4, 1876
Jultagi, the Korean tradition of tightrope walking
Charles Blondin
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Charles Blondin 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.
Charles Blondin crossing the Niagara River in 1859
Charles Blondin carrying Colcord on a tightrope
Engraving (c. 1883) of Blondin crossing Niagara with his manager, Harry Colcord, on his back