On October 24,1901, Annie Edson Taylor, a 63-year-old schoolteacher, became the first person to go over Niagara Falls in a barrel. Other daredevils had tried it but they had not been successful. Annie was desperate for money so she planned carefully and decided she could survive. Afterward she hoped her fame would bring her speaking fees and book sales. To see photographs and read how she did it, click here.
