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EVEL KNIEVEL, the motorcycle stunt superhero, passed away today at his home in the USA, aged 69.
The motorcycling phenomenon had been suffering from a degenerating lung disease, pulmonary fibrosis, for the past few years, finally succumbing to the illness less than a few hours ago.
Robert Craig Knievel was born on October 17th 1938 in Butte Montana. His parents parted when he was just 18 months old and Knievel was sent to live with grandma, Emma.
When he was 8 years old his grandmother took Knievel to see the Joie Chitwood automobile stunt show. The experience had an immediate impact on Evel who, there and then, decided he wanted to be a stuntman.
Knievel started jumping piles of burning weeds on his pushbike, charging kids
from his local school a small fee to watch.
After numerous scrapes with the law and a year in the infantry, Knievel started work for a Honda dealer in Washington. The owner sponsored Knievel with a CB350, so the budding stuntman could perform his jumps. His first public display involved jumping 100 live rattlesnakes.
Knievel's Maddest stunts
December 31st 1967 - Caeser's Palace
Knievel attempted the 140ft jump on a Triumph T120. He landed badly, shattering his pelvis and left hip and was in a coma for 29 days. Knievel was left with his left leg an inch shorter than right, hence the cane.
September 8 1974 - Snake River Canyon Idaho
Knievel attempted to jump the canyon in his steam powered 350mph Skycycle X2 but the machine fell short, plunging Evel into the river. He escaped with minor injuries.
May 26th 1975 - Wembley Arena
Knievel attempted to jump 13 single decker London buses in front of a sell out crowd. Over 70,000 people watched Evel land short on the landing ramp, breaking Knievel's pelvis and ribs. After being helped to his feet Evel swore he's never jump again.
*In a recent interview, Knievel explained how he knew he wouldn't make the jump but did it anyway so he wouldn't disappoint the crowd. 'What was I gonna do? Give 'em their money back?' he jested in the 2006 interview.
October 31st 1977 - Pool of sharks
The indoor jump would see Knievel attempt to jump 14 lemon sharks but he crashed rehearsing the stunt, hitting a TV camerman. The jump was cancelled.
The Knievel Toys
The Ideal Toy Company made the now famous wind up Gyro-Cycle. Knievel was rumoured to have made 300 million dollars from sales alone. The toy outsold Barbie and GI Joe Action man.
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