Stunt Crews: Death-Defying Feats

Stunt Crews: Death-Defying Feats — page 1 — KKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKS LD STUNT CREWS Death defying Feats WHAT MAKES A DAREDEVIL ome people call them heroes Others say they are crazy But it's hard not to admire the bravery and skill of people who perform death defying stunts Do you have what it takes to jump over Niagara Falls SHOWING OFF Stunts are not for shy people Showmen like Harry Houdini or Evel Knievel loved being the center of attention They also had nerves of steel Most stunts need good balance and a head for heights Stunt people also need to be fit and flexible they often practice gymnastics PRACTICE MAKES PERFECT People who do stunts often say they enjoy testing their bodies Many did tricks on snowboards mountain bikes or skateboards as kids As they grew up they learned different harder skills In fact stunt performers never stop learning and practicing This reduces the risk of getting hurt BEING FIRST Daredevils often try to be the first to do something In 2008 Yves Rossy became the first person to cross the English Channel using a jet pack He whizzed across in minutes but it had taken six years to develop his jet

Stunt Crews: Death-Defying Feats — page 2 — What Makes a Daredevil 9 Top A stuntman wears a fireproof suit for a film stunt Middle BASE jumpers launch themselves from a skyscraper Bottom A motocross rider defies gravity o Even from a young age daredevils are always pushing themselves to do more dangerous more difficult

Stunt Crews: Death-Defying Feats — page 3 — е е е е 0 0 0 0 e e o o e e o e e e o e LD STUNT CREWS Death defying Feats THE HANDCUFF KING CD DRCUS arry Houdini could wriggle out of anything ropes and chains handcuffs or straitjackets even if he was hanging upside down When other escape artists began to copy his tricks Houdini went one better He escaped from water a locked case flooded with audin ESCAPE ARTIST The young Houdini turned to magic after seeing a magician He started with card tricks but they weren't very popular One trick always went down well however Houdini swallowed dozens of needles and a piece of thread When he coughed them back up the needles were threaded

Stunt Crews: Death-Defying Feats — page 4 — 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0000000000 Dec 0 0 OOOOOOOOOOOO 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 е е е е е е е е The Handcuff King V Houdini challenged policemen to handcuff him but still escaped DANGEROUS PURSUITS Houdini realized that people got an extra thrill if he did something dangerous In 1898 he started the Challenge Act He dared his audience to lock him up They couldn't He broke free from jail cells padlocked crates thrown into rivers and mailbags wrapped in chains Soon Houdini was famous DROWNED IN APPLAUSE In 1912 Houdini created his greatest act the Water Torture Cell Houdini's feet were locked in stocks He was lowered upside down into a glass tank of water Curtains closed in front of the tank A minute went by two minutes Silence Assistants stood by with axes ready to smash the glass Three minutes passed Was he drowning Suddenly Houdini burst through the curtains The crowd cheered How did he do it V No matter how securely he was chained up Houdini always managed to escape but he never let the audience see how he did it STUNT SKILLS In 1909 Houdini revealed some of his tricks in a book He had the ability to swallow lockpicks and keys and then cough them up at will While he was being tied up he gave himself room by holding his arms away from his body Then he dislocated his shoulders to get them free He could also hold his breath for over three minutes This gave him time to pick the locks in the Water Torture

3

PAGE 3 OF 29

›

The only kids' eBook subscription service that offers thousands of high-quality books from well known publishers like HarperCollins, National Geographic and others.

JavaScript Required

Whoops! We're sorry but Epic doesn't work properly without JavaScript enabled. Check your web browser's settings to make sure it's enabled.