During the 1970s, many Americans were transfixed on Evel Knievel. His stunts were so shocking that it was nearly impossible to look away! He loved entertaining us and we loved to watch him and his death-defying stunts!
Evel’s first jump was in 1966 and it helped to jump-start the career of this motorcycle stuntman from Butte, Montana. He soon made the transition from county fairs to sold-out stadiums. People packed into arenas across the country to watch Knievel’s death-defying feats. Each one was more ambitious than the last.
1975 was a particularly busy year for this daredevil. In May, he attempted to jump single-deck AEC Merlin buses in front of 90,000 fans in London’s Wembley Stadium. Knievel crashed and broke his pelvis.
Afterwards, he immediately announced to fans in attendance that they had just witnessed his last jump. “Ladies and gentlemen of this wonderful country, I’ve got to tell you that you are the last people in the world who will ever see me jump. Because I will never, ever, ever jump again. I’m through.”
But, this man was born to entertain. His retirement didn’t last long. On October 25th of that same year, Knievel shockingly jumped 14 Greyhound buses at Kings Island Amusement Park in suburban Cincinnati. We all held our breath as he drove up the platform. Knowing it had been just six months since his London crash, we wanted him to accomplish his latest jump.
Much to the delight of fans, Evel did make the jump. He was uninjured but his motorcycle broke in half. Video of that is below.
This was Evel’s last big jump. After this, his jumps were shorter and more attainable. He continued entertaining us and promoting important things, such as the importance of wearing motorcycle helmets.
Before his death in 2007, Evel Knievel appeared on Robert Schuller’s The Hour of Power to announce that he “believed in Jesus Christ.” He was baptized in a television event by Schuller at the Crystal Cathedral. The stuntman’s conversion was the catalyst for many baptisms at the Cyrstal Cathedral.
If you enjoyed watching this stunt, check out another video of one of Evel Knievel’s jumps:
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