Sam Patch

Sam Patch (1800 – November 13, 1829), known as "The Yankee Leaper", became the first famous American daredevil after successfully jumping from a raised platform into the Niagara River near the base of Niagara Falls in 1829. Sam Patch was born in Pawtucket, Rhode Island where he began working as a child laborer spinning cotton in a mill. When he was not working, he entertained other boys by jumping off the mill dam. By his early 20s he was working at a mill in Paterson, New Jersey, and was jumping off ever-higher spots. He was beginning to attract crowds for his well-advertised stunts. On September 30, 1827, he jumped off the 70-foot Passaic Falls in New Jersey, pleasing a large crowd that had gathered. He repeated this jump at least...