Aerialist Nik Wallenda Becomes First Man to Tight Rope Walk Across Niagra Falls

Starting at 10:10 pm on Friday and finishing approximately 25 minutes later, 33-year-old Nik Wallenda completed a death-defying stunt that left everyone in attendance in awe. The daredevil aerialist balanced his way across Niagra Falls on a tight rope, becoming the first man to perform this feat.

So, what made this Guinness World Record holder want to attempt this stunt besides for the shear adrenaline rush? “Life is being on the wire; everything else is just waiting,” he said, quoting his great-grandfather Karl Wallenda. His entire family, in fact, is known as The Flying Wallenda family, whose ancestry is rooted in circus acrobatics, world record stunts and, of course, tight rope walking.

 Check out a few photos of his incredible high-wire act below: