1 00:00:01,958 --> 00:00:04,333 [mellow pulsating music] 2 00:00:04,458 --> 00:00:09,124 - Did you know there was a time when polo needed an airbag? 3 00:00:09,125 --> 00:00:10,707 [dramatic music] 4 00:00:10,708 --> 00:00:12,832 - [Rutledge] They started drawing crowds of 5,000 people 5 00:00:12,833 --> 00:00:15,041 because they would show up for the competition, 6 00:00:15,042 --> 00:00:16,874 but they would stay for the carnage. 7 00:00:16,875 --> 00:00:19,082 [crowd cheering] 8 00:00:19,083 --> 00:00:21,457 - Do you remember when your high dive partner 9 00:00:21,458 --> 00:00:23,541 could be a horse? 10 00:00:23,542 --> 00:00:27,041 - [Adam] A 1,000 pound horse will make contact 11 00:00:27,042 --> 00:00:30,707 at roughly 30,000 pounds of force. 12 00:00:30,708 --> 00:00:32,291 [water splashing] 13 00:00:32,292 --> 00:00:36,874 - Or when connecting flights meant changing planes mid air? 14 00:00:36,875 --> 00:00:38,207 [propellers buzzing] 15 00:00:38,208 --> 00:00:39,291 - [Romi] You want to play a tennis match 16 00:00:39,292 --> 00:00:40,500 a mile up in the air? 17 00:00:41,250 --> 00:00:43,541 They actually set one up. 18 00:00:43,542 --> 00:00:45,541 - But what an idea, 19 00:00:45,542 --> 00:00:46,666 what an idea. 20 00:00:46,667 --> 00:00:48,249 [dramatic music] 21 00:00:48,250 --> 00:00:52,291 - These are the things we used to do for fun, for money, 22 00:00:52,292 --> 00:00:56,832 or maybe out of boredom that we'll never see again. 23 00:00:56,833 --> 00:00:58,332 Were they dangerous? 24 00:00:58,333 --> 00:00:59,541 Certainly. 25 00:00:59,542 --> 00:01:00,541 Deadly? 26 00:01:00,542 --> 00:01:01,332 Occasionally. 27 00:01:01,333 --> 00:01:03,542 But boy, wasn't it exciting? 28 00:01:11,792 --> 00:01:14,416 [mellow pulsating music] 29 00:01:14,417 --> 00:01:17,124 Americans have always been thrill seekers 30 00:01:17,125 --> 00:01:19,416 and we start young at the playground, 31 00:01:19,417 --> 00:01:22,207 especially when the equipment seemed designed 32 00:01:22,208 --> 00:01:26,457 for one purpose only, to try and break us. 33 00:01:26,458 --> 00:01:28,207 [dramatic music] 34 00:01:28,208 --> 00:01:29,458 - [Don] The late 1800s, into the 1900s, 35 00:01:29,583 --> 00:01:32,332 millions of people arrived from Europe primarily 36 00:01:32,333 --> 00:01:35,082 and they are crowding into these neighborhoods 37 00:01:35,083 --> 00:01:37,707 of New York City and Boston and Philadelphia, 38 00:01:37,708 --> 00:01:39,124 piled on top of each other. 39 00:01:39,125 --> 00:01:41,542 Absolutely nowhere for kids to play. 40 00:01:43,208 --> 00:01:44,791 So where do they go? 41 00:01:44,792 --> 00:01:45,957 Out into the streets. 42 00:01:45,958 --> 00:01:48,541 [dramatic music] 43 00:01:48,542 --> 00:01:49,916 - [Steve] They'd be getting into trouble, 44 00:01:49,917 --> 00:01:50,999 getting into fights. 45 00:01:51,000 --> 00:01:53,499 We're talking thousands of kids. 46 00:01:53,500 --> 00:01:56,207 - [Don] They are involved in gambling, drinking, smoking. 47 00:01:56,208 --> 00:01:59,166 What kids do when they hang out on the streets. 48 00:01:59,167 --> 00:02:01,750 They're also getting run over by trolleys. 49 00:02:03,042 --> 00:02:06,332 Mothers, community leaders, politicians, 50 00:02:06,333 --> 00:02:08,957 everyone starts to look for healthy 51 00:02:08,958 --> 00:02:10,541 alternatives for these kids, 52 00:02:10,542 --> 00:02:13,166 and what they come up with are playgrounds. 53 00:02:13,167 --> 00:02:14,457 [mellow music] 54 00:02:14,458 --> 00:02:15,874 - [Henry] The idea behind playgrounds 55 00:02:15,875 --> 00:02:17,666 is to create a local spot 56 00:02:17,667 --> 00:02:21,124 where kids can get all their bottled up energy out. 57 00:02:21,125 --> 00:02:22,249 - They've got everything we think of 58 00:02:22,250 --> 00:02:24,707 that a modern playground would have, 59 00:02:24,708 --> 00:02:28,207 swings and monkey bars and slides. 60 00:02:28,208 --> 00:02:31,457 - Any kid who's gone down any metal slide 61 00:02:31,458 --> 00:02:33,791 knows that steel gets really, really hot, 62 00:02:33,792 --> 00:02:36,207 like 150-degrees hot. 63 00:02:36,208 --> 00:02:38,416 Your skin makes this screeching sound 64 00:02:38,417 --> 00:02:40,333 as you get stuck going down. [screeching] 65 00:02:40,708 --> 00:02:43,332 - [Henry] But there was one legendary piece of equipment 66 00:02:43,333 --> 00:02:45,749 that was on nearly every playground 67 00:02:45,750 --> 00:02:48,041 until it went extinct. 68 00:02:48,042 --> 00:02:49,541 - One of the most popular pieces 69 00:02:49,542 --> 00:02:52,416 of playground equipment is the miracle whirl. 70 00:02:52,417 --> 00:02:56,416 It's a metal disc on an axis. 71 00:02:56,417 --> 00:02:59,207 You run top speed, grab a handle, 72 00:02:59,208 --> 00:03:02,374 and when you feel it's going fast enough, 73 00:03:02,375 --> 00:03:04,916 you sort of throw caution and your life to the wind 74 00:03:04,917 --> 00:03:05,792 and just jump on. 75 00:03:07,083 --> 00:03:10,041 - [Brian] The park where I grew up had two miracle whirls. 76 00:03:10,042 --> 00:03:11,916 It served one purpose, 77 00:03:11,917 --> 00:03:14,041 and that was to see who 78 00:03:14,042 --> 00:03:15,749 could throw up the fastest. 79 00:03:15,750 --> 00:03:17,332 - It's a vomit machine. 80 00:03:17,333 --> 00:03:20,332 There is always some kid spinning so fast 81 00:03:20,333 --> 00:03:21,708 that other kids are puking 82 00:03:22,792 --> 00:03:23,916 and if they're not puking, 83 00:03:23,917 --> 00:03:25,457 they're falling off. 84 00:03:25,458 --> 00:03:27,457 - [Henry] The miracle whirl's design 85 00:03:27,458 --> 00:03:29,874 has numerous potential pitfalls. 86 00:03:29,875 --> 00:03:32,832 - [Adam] The only thing holding you on this ride 87 00:03:32,833 --> 00:03:34,957 is the strength of your grip. 88 00:03:34,958 --> 00:03:37,291 A child's grip. 89 00:03:37,292 --> 00:03:38,707 - [Austin] If for some reason 90 00:03:38,708 --> 00:03:41,791 you are spun from the high end to the low end, 91 00:03:41,792 --> 00:03:43,041 you can have your legs 92 00:03:43,042 --> 00:03:44,667 trapped under the low end. 93 00:03:47,250 --> 00:03:50,541 And should you be catapulted from the high side, 94 00:03:50,542 --> 00:03:55,832 you're not landing on today's recycled rubber modular mats. 95 00:03:55,833 --> 00:03:57,666 - Growing up in the 1970s, 96 00:03:57,667 --> 00:03:59,082 there was no padding on the ground. 97 00:03:59,083 --> 00:04:00,374 You took chances. 98 00:04:00,375 --> 00:04:01,874 - [Austin] You're landing on whatever 99 00:04:01,875 --> 00:04:03,707 was around that the town had. 100 00:04:03,708 --> 00:04:07,041 Could be wood chips, could be asphalt, could be bare earth, 101 00:04:07,042 --> 00:04:09,124 could be bricks. 102 00:04:09,125 --> 00:04:10,374 [mellow music] 103 00:04:10,375 --> 00:04:11,666 - [Henry] The miracle whirl goes through 104 00:04:11,667 --> 00:04:14,374 several safety redesigns through the decades, 105 00:04:14,375 --> 00:04:16,499 but eventually falls out of favor 106 00:04:16,500 --> 00:04:19,541 in the 90s and early 2000s. 107 00:04:19,542 --> 00:04:22,374 - When you're being raised in a world 108 00:04:22,375 --> 00:04:24,041 where your parents are happy 109 00:04:24,042 --> 00:04:26,874 to put you on the miracle whirl, you know you survived it. 110 00:04:26,875 --> 00:04:29,541 But I just think that like if your childhood 111 00:04:29,542 --> 00:04:34,666 starts from a place of torture devices for fun, 112 00:04:34,667 --> 00:04:37,041 that you can handle almost anything life throws you. 113 00:04:37,042 --> 00:04:38,333 I think. 114 00:04:40,042 --> 00:04:41,832 But I don't have kids. 115 00:04:41,833 --> 00:04:43,166 [laughing] 116 00:04:43,167 --> 00:04:44,291 [mellow music] 117 00:04:44,292 --> 00:04:45,749 - Once you survive the playground, 118 00:04:45,750 --> 00:04:48,541 you are ready for the amusement park. 119 00:04:48,542 --> 00:04:52,082 But back in the 80s, there was one notorious destination 120 00:04:52,083 --> 00:04:54,166 that nobody was ready for. 121 00:04:54,167 --> 00:04:57,541 [dramatic music] 122 00:04:57,542 --> 00:05:00,916 - [Hakeem] In the 70s and 80s, water parks are a new concept 123 00:05:00,917 --> 00:05:03,207 and Gene Mulvihill comes up 124 00:05:03,208 --> 00:05:06,457 with an idea for Action Park. 125 00:05:06,458 --> 00:05:08,041 He's gonna be in the center of it all 126 00:05:08,042 --> 00:05:09,791 and he markets it as the park 127 00:05:09,792 --> 00:05:11,791 for the ultimate thrill seeker. 128 00:05:11,792 --> 00:05:13,041 - [Announcer] It's got cliff diving, 129 00:05:13,042 --> 00:05:15,500 air slides, rapids, waterfalls. 130 00:05:16,708 --> 00:05:19,624 - Gene Mulvihill kind of had this grandiose vision 131 00:05:19,625 --> 00:05:22,166 of he was going to be the next Walt Disney, 132 00:05:22,167 --> 00:05:24,874 but Action Park was probably one 133 00:05:24,875 --> 00:05:26,916 of the most ill-advised 134 00:05:26,917 --> 00:05:28,707 parks in the history 135 00:05:28,708 --> 00:05:30,833 of amusement parks on earth. 136 00:05:31,750 --> 00:05:32,916 [screaming] 137 00:05:32,917 --> 00:05:35,249 - [Steve] Every one of my friends that went 138 00:05:35,250 --> 00:05:37,917 came back with a cast and stitches. 139 00:05:39,375 --> 00:05:41,874 - We would pull up to it talking 140 00:05:41,875 --> 00:05:43,541 about which dangerous ride 141 00:05:43,542 --> 00:05:45,832 that we were gonna go on to prove how tough we were 142 00:05:45,833 --> 00:05:49,332 and our parents were like, here's money, get in there. 143 00:05:49,333 --> 00:05:50,707 We'll be at the bar. 144 00:05:50,708 --> 00:05:51,749 [dramatic music] 145 00:05:51,750 --> 00:05:53,457 - [Edward] At the time in New Jersey, 146 00:05:53,458 --> 00:05:55,249 there's an advisory board for amusement park rides, 147 00:05:55,250 --> 00:05:56,917 but not a regulatory agency. 148 00:05:57,208 --> 00:05:59,291 So Mulvihill doesn't need any permit 149 00:05:59,292 --> 00:06:01,249 when he goes about building this thing. 150 00:06:01,250 --> 00:06:02,916 - [Henry] With nothing holding him back, 151 00:06:02,917 --> 00:06:05,624 Mulvihill dreams up one of the park's 152 00:06:05,625 --> 00:06:07,707 most unforgettable rides. 153 00:06:07,708 --> 00:06:10,624 It's the nation's first looping water slide, 154 00:06:10,625 --> 00:06:12,291 the Cannon Ball Loop. 155 00:06:12,292 --> 00:06:13,624 [mellow music] 156 00:06:13,625 --> 00:06:15,374 - So the Cannon Ball is a 157 00:06:15,375 --> 00:06:17,874 60-foot enclosed water slide 158 00:06:17,875 --> 00:06:22,750 that has a 360-degree loop that spits you out at the bottom. 159 00:06:23,833 --> 00:06:26,957 - It defied every engineering principle, 160 00:06:26,958 --> 00:06:30,666 every mechanism for safety or risk. 161 00:06:30,667 --> 00:06:33,582 - When I look at this, I'm like, this clearly was designed 162 00:06:33,583 --> 00:06:36,374 by someone who has no engineering experience 163 00:06:36,375 --> 00:06:37,666 and guess what? 164 00:06:37,667 --> 00:06:39,332 It was. 165 00:06:39,333 --> 00:06:40,624 - [Edward] Gene Mulvihill designed 166 00:06:40,625 --> 00:06:43,624 the Cannonball Loop on the back of a napkin. 167 00:06:43,625 --> 00:06:44,999 He's not an architect, 168 00:06:45,000 --> 00:06:46,874 he's not a designer, he's not an engineer. 169 00:06:46,875 --> 00:06:48,917 He has no business building this thing. 170 00:06:50,208 --> 00:06:52,874 - [Brian] The Cannonball Loop was so dangerous looking 171 00:06:52,875 --> 00:06:54,457 and so ill-conceived 172 00:06:54,458 --> 00:06:56,541 that him and his workers didn't want to 173 00:06:56,542 --> 00:06:58,207 try it out and test it. 174 00:06:58,208 --> 00:07:01,541 - [Nicole] So Gene gets his son to test this water slide. 175 00:07:01,542 --> 00:07:04,582 His son doesn't even have enough faith in Gene. 176 00:07:04,583 --> 00:07:07,207 He decides, hey, I'm gonna go down it, dad, 177 00:07:07,208 --> 00:07:09,917 but I'm gonna go down it in full-blown hockey gear. 178 00:07:11,542 --> 00:07:13,207 And this is a slide designed 179 00:07:13,208 --> 00:07:15,166 for people in bathing suits, 180 00:07:15,167 --> 00:07:16,832 okay, not hockey gear. 181 00:07:16,833 --> 00:07:20,332 - Gene Mulvihill using his son to test out this ride 182 00:07:20,333 --> 00:07:23,082 just says so much about attitudes 183 00:07:23,083 --> 00:07:25,707 around parenting from that era. 184 00:07:25,708 --> 00:07:28,499 - [Henry] Then Mulvihill starts paying park employees, 185 00:07:28,500 --> 00:07:31,124 mostly high school students, to go down. 186 00:07:31,125 --> 00:07:33,541 - Mulvihill offers them $100 187 00:07:33,542 --> 00:07:35,167 to be the guinea pigs, essentially. 188 00:07:36,500 --> 00:07:39,042 So one by one they go down the water slide 189 00:07:40,083 --> 00:07:41,374 and there's a problem. 190 00:07:41,375 --> 00:07:42,957 [dramatic music] 191 00:07:42,958 --> 00:07:44,124 - [Hakeem] When they enter the loop, 192 00:07:44,125 --> 00:07:45,999 the riders have to have enough speed 193 00:07:46,000 --> 00:07:48,207 to make it all the way around the loop. 194 00:07:48,208 --> 00:07:51,082 If you didn't make it, you fall back down the tube 195 00:07:51,083 --> 00:07:52,832 and now you're really stuck. 196 00:07:52,833 --> 00:07:55,249 You can't go back up the 60-foot incline 197 00:07:55,250 --> 00:07:56,499 and you can't go up the loop. 198 00:07:56,500 --> 00:07:58,041 What do you do? 199 00:07:58,042 --> 00:08:00,874 - The only way to get out eventually is they lower ropes 200 00:08:00,875 --> 00:08:03,499 down the tube where the kids can latch onto it 201 00:08:03,500 --> 00:08:04,999 and then they pull them 202 00:08:05,000 --> 00:08:06,167 all the way back out. 203 00:08:07,208 --> 00:08:08,374 - They finally decide that 204 00:08:08,375 --> 00:08:09,874 there's enough people getting stuck 205 00:08:09,875 --> 00:08:12,999 that they have to create this hatch to get people out. 206 00:08:13,000 --> 00:08:14,416 - This was a ride that 207 00:08:14,417 --> 00:08:16,207 had its own escape hatch. 208 00:08:16,208 --> 00:08:18,166 That's how bad it was. 209 00:08:18,167 --> 00:08:20,457 - [Henry] But amazingly, getting stuck 210 00:08:20,458 --> 00:08:23,457 is not the worst possible outcome. 211 00:08:23,458 --> 00:08:24,541 - [Brian] People would come out and be like, 212 00:08:24,542 --> 00:08:25,541 why am I bleeding from here, 213 00:08:25,542 --> 00:08:26,916 why am I bleeding from here? 214 00:08:26,917 --> 00:08:27,749 It's a water ride. 215 00:08:27,750 --> 00:08:28,999 How are people getting cut? 216 00:08:29,000 --> 00:08:30,957 They open a hatch and they see that 217 00:08:30,958 --> 00:08:32,332 people were losing 218 00:08:32,333 --> 00:08:34,416 their teeth on the ride. 219 00:08:34,417 --> 00:08:37,374 The teeth would get embedded into the ride 220 00:08:37,375 --> 00:08:40,124 like shards of glass and then we would 221 00:08:40,125 --> 00:08:41,374 just go on it and shoot around 222 00:08:41,375 --> 00:08:42,957 and get cut up by people's teeth. 223 00:08:42,958 --> 00:08:44,874 People's teeth! 224 00:08:44,875 --> 00:08:47,957 - [Henry] The Cannonball Loop causes so much carnage 225 00:08:47,958 --> 00:08:51,332 that responsible adults are forced to intervene. 226 00:08:51,333 --> 00:08:53,541 - So many people had been injured 227 00:08:53,542 --> 00:08:55,416 that the advisory board said, 228 00:08:55,417 --> 00:08:58,041 hey, we got to put the brakes on this. 229 00:08:58,042 --> 00:09:00,374 - [Henry] The ride is only open for a month, 230 00:09:00,375 --> 00:09:04,374 but the park itself hangs on for another 11 years. 231 00:09:04,375 --> 00:09:05,374 - A lot of these things 232 00:09:05,375 --> 00:09:06,957 that we talk about 233 00:09:06,958 --> 00:09:11,416 sound kind of dangerous and perhaps too risky for children 234 00:09:11,417 --> 00:09:13,124 to be engaging with. 235 00:09:13,125 --> 00:09:16,749 But as someone that like lived through that era, 236 00:09:16,750 --> 00:09:19,374 there was a sense of pride in acknowledging 237 00:09:19,375 --> 00:09:21,666 and surviving the danger. 238 00:09:21,667 --> 00:09:23,041 That was Action Park 239 00:09:23,042 --> 00:09:25,042 and I couldn't wait to go back next year. 240 00:09:26,167 --> 00:09:29,541 - So many people got hurt at Action Park 241 00:09:29,542 --> 00:09:32,166 that healthcare workers nicknamed the place 242 00:09:32,167 --> 00:09:33,125 Traction Park. 243 00:09:37,125 --> 00:09:39,041 - Americans have loved the thrill of auto races 244 00:09:39,042 --> 00:09:42,707 since cars first hit the streets in the 1880s. 245 00:09:42,708 --> 00:09:45,374 People wanted to see drivers push themselves 246 00:09:45,375 --> 00:09:47,207 to breakneck speeds, 247 00:09:47,208 --> 00:09:51,957 a term that for some early racers was quite literal. 248 00:09:51,958 --> 00:09:54,082 [mellow music] 249 00:09:54,083 --> 00:09:55,291 - It's hard to imagine 250 00:09:55,292 --> 00:09:56,707 the newness of a car. 251 00:09:56,708 --> 00:09:59,624 [engine clattering] 252 00:09:59,625 --> 00:10:01,042 They come out of nowhere 253 00:10:02,750 --> 00:10:05,791 and people want to see them. 254 00:10:05,792 --> 00:10:09,541 Almost as soon as we have cars, we have car races. 255 00:10:09,542 --> 00:10:10,999 [engines revving] 256 00:10:11,000 --> 00:10:13,791 - [Nicole] Back in the day it was very lawless. 257 00:10:13,792 --> 00:10:16,124 You did not have sanctioning bodies, you did not have rules. 258 00:10:16,125 --> 00:10:17,541 [dramatic music] 259 00:10:17,542 --> 00:10:19,624 - [Henry] By 1900 cars were able to reach 260 00:10:19,625 --> 00:10:22,249 a speed up to 70 miles an hour 261 00:10:22,250 --> 00:10:23,707 and that's when the craziness 262 00:10:23,708 --> 00:10:26,374 of auto racing really takes off. 263 00:10:26,375 --> 00:10:28,499 - This is still new technology 264 00:10:28,500 --> 00:10:29,582 that now people are 265 00:10:29,583 --> 00:10:30,874 pushing to the limits. 266 00:10:30,875 --> 00:10:32,249 [brakes screeching] 267 00:10:32,250 --> 00:10:35,041 - Keep in mind, there's no safety regulations. 268 00:10:35,042 --> 00:10:37,582 [gears winding] [car crashing] 269 00:10:37,583 --> 00:10:39,207 There's no seat belts. 270 00:10:39,208 --> 00:10:40,916 [metal crunching] 271 00:10:40,917 --> 00:10:42,166 There's definitely no helmets, 272 00:10:42,167 --> 00:10:43,875 so a lot of times during the races, 273 00:10:45,250 --> 00:10:47,166 these drivers were just getting thrown out 274 00:10:47,167 --> 00:10:49,207 if they didn't catch on fire beforehand. 275 00:10:49,208 --> 00:10:50,832 [mellow music] 276 00:10:50,833 --> 00:10:53,582 - [Henry] By the 1920s the sport becomes so popular, 277 00:10:53,583 --> 00:10:55,874 promoters roll out a new invention, 278 00:10:55,875 --> 00:10:59,666 a type of racetrack called the motordrome. 279 00:10:59,667 --> 00:11:00,916 - [Announcer] At Altoona, Pennsylvania, 280 00:11:00,917 --> 00:11:02,166 they got rid of the dust 281 00:11:02,167 --> 00:11:04,082 by building a wondrous wooden saucer, 282 00:11:04,083 --> 00:11:06,541 which became more oil soaked and slippery. 283 00:11:06,542 --> 00:11:08,832 [dramatic music] 284 00:11:08,833 --> 00:11:10,457 - [Adam] Essentially, these were hastily 285 00:11:10,458 --> 00:11:14,207 constructed cheap tracks that were made of planking, 286 00:11:14,208 --> 00:11:16,374 but to make it the spectacle more exciting, 287 00:11:16,375 --> 00:11:18,875 they began making banked tracks. 288 00:11:19,792 --> 00:11:20,999 - [Rutledge] It was pretty cool 289 00:11:21,000 --> 00:11:22,458 because you could see all the action, 290 00:11:22,625 --> 00:11:25,124 they would be sort of contained and the track could travel, 291 00:11:25,125 --> 00:11:27,416 but it was still just as dangerous 292 00:11:27,417 --> 00:11:29,374 as any racing was before it. 293 00:11:29,375 --> 00:11:30,707 [dramatic music] 294 00:11:30,708 --> 00:11:32,082 - [Henry] Because the wooden planks 295 00:11:32,083 --> 00:11:34,999 of a board track can be disassembled and reassembled, 296 00:11:35,000 --> 00:11:37,874 it moves around frequently to different venues, 297 00:11:37,875 --> 00:11:40,749 which also makes it very unstable. 298 00:11:40,750 --> 00:11:44,249 - You have relatively inexperienced drivers 299 00:11:44,250 --> 00:11:47,541 on relatively unproven pieces of machinery, 300 00:11:47,542 --> 00:11:50,582 hurtling around a hastily made track 301 00:11:50,583 --> 00:11:52,416 that would sometimes disintegrate 302 00:11:52,417 --> 00:11:54,249 while driving on it. 303 00:11:54,250 --> 00:11:55,666 And if it sounds scary, 304 00:11:55,667 --> 00:11:57,291 it's because it was 305 00:11:57,292 --> 00:11:58,916 freaking terrifying. 306 00:11:58,917 --> 00:12:00,332 [engines revving] 307 00:12:00,333 --> 00:12:01,291 - So you also have to worry 308 00:12:01,292 --> 00:12:02,207 about the actual track, 309 00:12:02,208 --> 00:12:04,874 the boards coming up and disintegrating. 310 00:12:04,875 --> 00:12:06,291 - [Andrew] When you're there as a spectator, 311 00:12:06,292 --> 00:12:07,874 you'll have to keep your head on a swivel 312 00:12:07,875 --> 00:12:08,957 of whether or not you're gonna 313 00:12:08,958 --> 00:12:10,874 catch a stake in the throat 314 00:12:10,875 --> 00:12:12,208 shooting off this racetrack. 315 00:12:13,375 --> 00:12:15,874 [spectators screaming] 316 00:12:15,875 --> 00:12:18,874 - [Rutledge] These races are pure pandemonium. 317 00:12:18,875 --> 00:12:21,916 And in fact, as the speed and danger increased, 318 00:12:21,917 --> 00:12:24,833 [dramatic music] [metal clattering] 319 00:12:26,375 --> 00:12:29,666 fans started referring to the board tracks as murderdromes. 320 00:12:29,667 --> 00:12:31,332 [dramatic music] 321 00:12:31,333 --> 00:12:34,457 - [Henry] These risks make board track racing a huge draw, 322 00:12:34,458 --> 00:12:38,207 even more popular than races like the Indianapolis 500. 323 00:12:38,208 --> 00:12:41,582 - Because of how dangerous the sport was, 324 00:12:41,583 --> 00:12:43,624 [tires screeching] 325 00:12:43,625 --> 00:12:45,207 board track racing 326 00:12:45,208 --> 00:12:46,541 was a phenomenon. 327 00:12:46,542 --> 00:12:48,082 [dramatic music] 328 00:12:48,083 --> 00:12:51,374 Famously, one year in Chicago, 80,000 people show up 329 00:12:51,375 --> 00:12:53,416 to see a board track race, 330 00:12:53,417 --> 00:12:55,749 when only 60,000 had showed up 331 00:12:55,750 --> 00:12:58,417 to the Indianapolis 500 the same year. 332 00:13:00,375 --> 00:13:02,457 - [Rutledge] You would assume that safety concerns 333 00:13:02,458 --> 00:13:05,582 is really what ultimately ended board track racing. 334 00:13:05,583 --> 00:13:08,457 [tires screeching] 335 00:13:08,458 --> 00:13:09,499 But that's not it. 336 00:13:09,500 --> 00:13:11,166 Nobody cared about that. 337 00:13:11,167 --> 00:13:12,874 The Great Depression sunk in 338 00:13:12,875 --> 00:13:14,749 and then suddenly it just wasn't feasible 339 00:13:14,750 --> 00:13:16,874 to take these tracks apart and move them around 340 00:13:16,875 --> 00:13:18,541 and try to have whole races with them. 341 00:13:18,542 --> 00:13:20,041 [mellow music] 342 00:13:20,042 --> 00:13:22,957 - I am glad that I was not alive in that era 343 00:13:22,958 --> 00:13:27,374 because I would not step foot on a board track race track. 344 00:13:27,375 --> 00:13:28,874 It's insanity, honestly. 345 00:13:28,875 --> 00:13:31,124 [engines revving] 346 00:13:31,125 --> 00:13:34,541 - Board track racing was just one of the sports 347 00:13:34,542 --> 00:13:36,749 that adventurous Americans invented 348 00:13:36,750 --> 00:13:38,916 in the early 20th century. 349 00:13:38,917 --> 00:13:42,916 Polo may have been called a sport of kings in England, 350 00:13:42,917 --> 00:13:44,957 but the game didn't take off in the states 351 00:13:44,958 --> 00:13:48,207 until thrill jockeys developed a version 352 00:13:48,208 --> 00:13:50,832 with a lot more horsepower. 353 00:13:50,833 --> 00:13:52,249 [dramatic music] 354 00:13:52,250 --> 00:13:54,749 - [Bryant] Almost every sport has its origins 355 00:13:54,750 --> 00:13:57,249 in some real danger. 356 00:13:57,250 --> 00:14:01,166 Polo seems pretty dangerous with horses flying around 357 00:14:01,167 --> 00:14:04,582 and jockeys with mallets swinging them 358 00:14:04,583 --> 00:14:06,874 as hard as they can at balls. 359 00:14:06,875 --> 00:14:09,207 But just like imagine this in a car. 360 00:14:09,208 --> 00:14:10,457 [dramatic music] 361 00:14:10,458 --> 00:14:11,707 - [Announcer] If you're anxious to risk life and limb, 362 00:14:11,708 --> 00:14:14,082 here's an ideal game, auto polo. 363 00:14:14,083 --> 00:14:16,874 - [Rutlede] We're gonna take this sport from the UK, 364 00:14:16,875 --> 00:14:18,624 which is so prestigious and we're just gonna 365 00:14:18,625 --> 00:14:20,707 redneck it down. 366 00:14:20,708 --> 00:14:22,541 We're gonna play polo out of our cars. 367 00:14:22,542 --> 00:14:23,458 Great idea. 368 00:14:25,708 --> 00:14:26,999 - Auto polo is invented by 369 00:14:27,000 --> 00:14:29,874 Ralph "Pappy" Hankinson in 1911. 370 00:14:29,875 --> 00:14:32,499 He is a Ford dealer in Topeka, Kansas, 371 00:14:32,500 --> 00:14:35,416 looking for a way to sell more Fords. 372 00:14:35,417 --> 00:14:38,332 - Hankinson comes up with a promotional idea, 373 00:14:38,333 --> 00:14:41,499 modeled along the lines of horse polo, 374 00:14:41,500 --> 00:14:43,124 but instead of riding a horse, 375 00:14:43,125 --> 00:14:46,874 people will be driving one of these new Model T Fords. 376 00:14:46,875 --> 00:14:48,874 [audience cheering] 377 00:14:48,875 --> 00:14:50,207 [dramatic music] 378 00:14:50,208 --> 00:14:51,457 - [Rutledge] This idea really came to Pappy 379 00:14:51,458 --> 00:14:53,374 because other people were doing it. 380 00:14:53,375 --> 00:14:55,416 They were just playing around in their farms. 381 00:14:55,417 --> 00:14:58,499 And Pappy is really the one that comes up with the idea 382 00:14:58,500 --> 00:15:02,416 to make formalized rules around it and call it auto polo. 383 00:15:02,417 --> 00:15:05,041 - [Edward] In auto polo, you have the driver 384 00:15:05,042 --> 00:15:07,041 and then in the passenger seat 385 00:15:07,042 --> 00:15:09,041 you have the mallet man 386 00:15:09,042 --> 00:15:10,499 and that person's job is to whack 387 00:15:10,500 --> 00:15:12,041 a large ball about the size of a basketball 388 00:15:12,042 --> 00:15:15,041 into a goal while traveling very fast, 389 00:15:15,042 --> 00:15:18,832 leading to accidents, crashes, all kinds of mayhem. 390 00:15:18,833 --> 00:15:20,624 - [Bryant] Just think about this, right? 391 00:15:20,625 --> 00:15:23,166 The car's trying to go as fast as it can to get to the ball, 392 00:15:23,167 --> 00:15:25,374 just like a horse would in polo, 393 00:15:25,375 --> 00:15:29,166 but what if the driver slams on the brakes? 394 00:15:29,167 --> 00:15:32,124 The mallet man is going flying, 395 00:15:32,125 --> 00:15:35,041 but they're flying right into a field 396 00:15:35,042 --> 00:15:36,832 with a bunch of other cars. 397 00:15:36,833 --> 00:15:38,082 [dramatic music] 398 00:15:38,083 --> 00:15:39,582 - [Rutledge] People refer to baseball 399 00:15:39,583 --> 00:15:42,207 as the national pastime, boxing is the sweet science, 400 00:15:42,208 --> 00:15:44,916 but do you know what auto polo is known as? 401 00:15:44,917 --> 00:15:47,541 The undertaker's delight. 402 00:15:47,542 --> 00:15:48,874 [dramatic music] 403 00:15:48,875 --> 00:15:49,666 - [Brian] If they were doing it today, 404 00:15:49,667 --> 00:15:50,874 I would go and watch it. 405 00:15:50,875 --> 00:15:53,207 A couple of drunk good old boys 406 00:15:53,208 --> 00:15:54,332 in a couple of pickup trucks 407 00:15:54,333 --> 00:15:56,082 with some mallet whacking a ball around 408 00:15:56,083 --> 00:15:58,374 causing all sorts of mayhem and destruction. 409 00:15:58,375 --> 00:15:59,166 [dramatic music] 410 00:15:59,167 --> 00:16:00,500 - [Henry] Almost overnight, 411 00:16:00,667 --> 00:16:04,291 auto polo goes from country fields to the big city. 412 00:16:04,292 --> 00:16:05,791 - [Edward] By 1912, just one year 413 00:16:05,792 --> 00:16:07,082 after Hankinson starts the thing, 414 00:16:07,083 --> 00:16:08,957 they're doing auto polo in 415 00:16:08,958 --> 00:16:11,124 Madison Square Garden in New York City. 416 00:16:11,125 --> 00:16:13,541 - [Rutledge] They started drawing crowds of 5,000 people 417 00:16:13,542 --> 00:16:15,874 because they would show up for the competition, 418 00:16:15,875 --> 00:16:17,624 but they would stay for the carnage. 419 00:16:17,625 --> 00:16:20,166 [dramatic music] 420 00:16:20,167 --> 00:16:21,541 - [Edward] In the course of a typical match, 421 00:16:21,542 --> 00:16:24,124 cars roll over, they crash into the stands, 422 00:16:24,125 --> 00:16:26,416 players get ejected from the cars, 423 00:16:26,417 --> 00:16:28,166 they're suffering tremendous head injuries. 424 00:16:28,167 --> 00:16:29,749 Some cases losing limbs. 425 00:16:29,750 --> 00:16:31,541 - [Rutledge] It got so bad that they started having 426 00:16:31,542 --> 00:16:34,541 doctors and nurses as a part of the teams. 427 00:16:34,542 --> 00:16:35,582 [dramatic music] 428 00:16:35,583 --> 00:16:36,541 It doesn't take long 429 00:16:36,542 --> 00:16:38,082 for the cars to start getting modified 430 00:16:38,083 --> 00:16:39,582 to be better competitors. 431 00:16:39,583 --> 00:16:41,166 So they might chop the top 432 00:16:41,167 --> 00:16:42,999 or put like a ramming bar on the front. 433 00:16:43,000 --> 00:16:45,332 I mean it became like a demolition derby, 434 00:16:45,333 --> 00:16:47,457 but some dude's hanging out the side. 435 00:16:47,458 --> 00:16:50,708 - [Henry] And it's not just the players in harm's way. 436 00:16:51,917 --> 00:16:53,624 - [Bryant] You get a point for each goal, 437 00:16:53,625 --> 00:16:57,374 but if you run over the referee, you only lose half a point. 438 00:16:57,375 --> 00:16:59,291 - [Rutledge] Can you imagine a sport 439 00:16:59,292 --> 00:17:01,957 that doesn't punish you for hitting the ref 440 00:17:01,958 --> 00:17:04,041 with a car? 441 00:17:04,042 --> 00:17:06,666 - And that's why fans absolutely love it. 442 00:17:06,667 --> 00:17:07,916 [dramatic music] 443 00:17:07,917 --> 00:17:08,999 - [Brian] Here's a deadly sport in which 444 00:17:09,000 --> 00:17:10,416 the cars are getting destroyed 445 00:17:10,417 --> 00:17:11,707 because they're hitting each other, 446 00:17:11,708 --> 00:17:12,791 they're running over refs, 447 00:17:12,792 --> 00:17:14,832 people are are losing body parts 448 00:17:14,833 --> 00:17:16,374 because they're getting clipped. 449 00:17:16,375 --> 00:17:18,124 And as fun as that is to watch, 450 00:17:18,125 --> 00:17:20,333 it's a nightmare financially. 451 00:17:21,458 --> 00:17:23,332 - [Rutledge] Obviously the danger in this sport 452 00:17:23,333 --> 00:17:25,125 is what led to it going away, right? 453 00:17:25,375 --> 00:17:26,416 No. 454 00:17:26,417 --> 00:17:27,624 It was that people were like, yeah, 455 00:17:27,625 --> 00:17:29,249 I really don't want to smash up my car. 456 00:17:29,250 --> 00:17:31,541 It's really expensive. 457 00:17:31,542 --> 00:17:32,458 There's the irony. 458 00:17:34,708 --> 00:17:35,957 [mellow music] 459 00:17:35,958 --> 00:17:38,082 - Auto polo's popularity ran out of gas 460 00:17:38,083 --> 00:17:39,624 during the Great Depression 461 00:17:39,625 --> 00:17:42,332 due to the high cost of car repairs. 462 00:17:42,333 --> 00:17:44,916 Well, it turns out that most insurance companies 463 00:17:44,917 --> 00:17:47,042 won't cover auto polo damage. 464 00:17:51,208 --> 00:17:52,707 - Remember the golden age of televised stunts 465 00:17:52,708 --> 00:17:54,249 back in the 70s? 466 00:17:54,250 --> 00:17:57,499 Daredevils like Evel Knievel risked life and limb 467 00:17:57,500 --> 00:18:00,832 as millions of Americans watched on TV. 468 00:18:00,833 --> 00:18:05,291 And one stunt man soared above the rest, a mysterious figure 469 00:18:05,292 --> 00:18:06,416 who was willing to go to 470 00:18:06,417 --> 00:18:09,832 any length and height to entertain. 471 00:18:09,833 --> 00:18:11,457 [light suspenseful music] 472 00:18:11,458 --> 00:18:12,832 - [Jason] In the age of TikTok, 473 00:18:12,833 --> 00:18:14,374 there's all sorts of challenges 474 00:18:14,375 --> 00:18:16,916 and stunts people do to get attention and likes, 475 00:18:16,917 --> 00:18:18,499 but in the 60s and 70s, 476 00:18:18,500 --> 00:18:20,249 if you wanted to get noticed, 477 00:18:20,250 --> 00:18:22,207 you had to do something big 478 00:18:22,208 --> 00:18:24,041 and it had to be extreme. 479 00:18:24,042 --> 00:18:26,416 [engine revving] 480 00:18:26,417 --> 00:18:28,374 - [Henry] And the biggest daredevil of the day 481 00:18:28,375 --> 00:18:30,083 was Evel Knievel. 482 00:18:31,250 --> 00:18:33,374 - [Nicole] Evel Knievel was a master 483 00:18:33,375 --> 00:18:36,041 of clearing extreme distances, 484 00:18:36,042 --> 00:18:39,874 jumping over buses, cars, lions, 485 00:18:39,875 --> 00:18:41,791 things I would never do. 486 00:18:41,792 --> 00:18:42,791 - [Henry] But there is someone 487 00:18:42,792 --> 00:18:45,875 who's out to top Evel Knievel. 488 00:18:47,542 --> 00:18:49,457 - [Natalia] There's this Canadian guy 489 00:18:49,458 --> 00:18:53,207 in a full body suit and a mask who shows up on the scene. 490 00:18:53,208 --> 00:18:55,375 He calls himself the Human Fly. 491 00:18:56,708 --> 00:18:58,749 - [Jason] He literally looks like right out of a comic book. 492 00:18:58,750 --> 00:19:00,582 He even says Evel Knievel 493 00:19:00,583 --> 00:19:01,999 is his archenemy. 494 00:19:02,000 --> 00:19:03,333 Great marketing. 495 00:19:03,708 --> 00:19:07,041 - Right out of the gate he decides to out-evil Evel 496 00:19:07,042 --> 00:19:08,541 with his own stunt. 497 00:19:08,542 --> 00:19:12,041 He's going to ride an airplane about 300 miles an hour 498 00:19:12,042 --> 00:19:13,874 on top of the plane. 499 00:19:13,875 --> 00:19:15,499 [mellow music] 500 00:19:15,500 --> 00:19:19,082 In order to pull this off, they're going to strap him 501 00:19:19,083 --> 00:19:21,832 to this metal pole on top of the plane 502 00:19:21,833 --> 00:19:24,707 and they have to run this by the FAA. 503 00:19:24,708 --> 00:19:27,082 - The FAA hears this harebrained scheme 504 00:19:27,083 --> 00:19:30,374 and their one bit is wear a helmet. 505 00:19:30,375 --> 00:19:32,291 300 miles per hour up in the air? 506 00:19:32,292 --> 00:19:35,332 What's a helmet gonna do if anything goes wrong? 507 00:19:35,333 --> 00:19:38,999 - [Henry] On June 19th, 1976, he boards his flight. 508 00:19:39,000 --> 00:19:40,291 [dramatic music] 509 00:19:40,292 --> 00:19:41,917 A passenger of one 510 00:19:43,333 --> 00:19:47,332 on top of a Douglas DC8 four-engine jetiner 511 00:19:47,333 --> 00:19:50,041 for a 300-mile-an-hour flight 512 00:19:50,042 --> 00:19:52,583 over California's Mojave Desert. 513 00:19:54,083 --> 00:19:56,249 - This is a major media event. 514 00:19:56,250 --> 00:19:58,749 Brett Musburger is there from CBS. 515 00:19:58,750 --> 00:19:59,833 Everybody's watching. 516 00:20:02,417 --> 00:20:05,541 - [Nicole] After 15 minutes in the air, the plane lands 517 00:20:05,542 --> 00:20:08,707 and the Human Fly waves to the crowd. 518 00:20:08,708 --> 00:20:09,999 [mellow music] 519 00:20:10,000 --> 00:20:12,291 - [Jason] I thought this was the greatest stunt 520 00:20:12,292 --> 00:20:13,874 I'd ever seen before. 521 00:20:13,875 --> 00:20:16,332 I couldn't believe he survived. 522 00:20:16,333 --> 00:20:18,041 - [Nicole] It seems to be a success, 523 00:20:18,042 --> 00:20:21,999 but the television crew records him going to the ambulance 524 00:20:22,000 --> 00:20:24,707 for burns suffered on his legs. 525 00:20:24,708 --> 00:20:26,041 - [Henry] Despite his injuries, 526 00:20:26,042 --> 00:20:29,416 the successful stunt earned him superhero status 527 00:20:29,417 --> 00:20:31,874 and a Marvel comic book. 528 00:20:31,875 --> 00:20:35,499 But the Human Fly has something even bigger in store 529 00:20:35,500 --> 00:20:38,457 to upstage his nemesis. 530 00:20:38,458 --> 00:20:40,874 - So the Human Fly's plan was fantastic. 531 00:20:40,875 --> 00:20:44,124 He said Evel Knievel's gonna jump 13 buses. 532 00:20:44,125 --> 00:20:45,457 Anybody could just be like, 533 00:20:45,458 --> 00:20:49,332 I'll jump 14 buses, maybe 15 buses. 534 00:20:49,333 --> 00:20:50,832 [engine revving] 535 00:20:50,833 --> 00:20:53,624 - The Human Fly says that he's gonna go for 27 buses. 536 00:20:53,625 --> 00:20:55,582 - You'd think that somebody in his crew would be like, 537 00:20:55,583 --> 00:20:57,249 hey, Human Fly, like maybe you know, 538 00:20:57,250 --> 00:20:58,541 you don't have to really do that. 539 00:20:58,542 --> 00:21:01,541 - So his motorcycle engineer comes up with the idea 540 00:21:01,542 --> 00:21:04,916 to build him a rocket- powered motorcycle. 541 00:21:04,917 --> 00:21:06,957 He replaces the motorcycle's engine 542 00:21:06,958 --> 00:21:11,749 with two 1500-pound-thrust hydrogen peroxide rockets. 543 00:21:11,750 --> 00:21:14,082 There's no laps, no getting up to speed. 544 00:21:14,083 --> 00:21:16,707 They just place the Harley at the bottom of the ramp, 545 00:21:16,708 --> 00:21:19,916 the Fly gets on, presses the button, 546 00:21:19,917 --> 00:21:22,041 holds on tight and prays. 547 00:21:22,042 --> 00:21:24,667 [dramatic music] 548 00:21:29,375 --> 00:21:33,374 - [Henry] He lands short of the ramp, crashing near bus 19. 549 00:21:33,375 --> 00:21:34,499 [dramatic music] 550 00:21:34,500 --> 00:21:36,291 - [Nicole] He breaks Evel's record, 551 00:21:36,292 --> 00:21:38,499 but he also pays the price. 552 00:21:38,500 --> 00:21:41,499 He's carried off on a stretcher with serious injuries. 553 00:21:41,500 --> 00:21:42,749 Here's the crazy part. 554 00:21:42,750 --> 00:21:46,249 He's never heard from ever again. 555 00:21:46,250 --> 00:21:47,624 - [Jason] As a kid, 556 00:21:47,625 --> 00:21:49,457 I didn't think much of it when he disappeared, 557 00:21:49,458 --> 00:21:50,957 I guess I just didn't realize it 558 00:21:50,958 --> 00:21:52,166 until it was too late 559 00:21:52,167 --> 00:21:54,166 and I was like, hey, what happened to the Human Fly? 560 00:21:54,167 --> 00:21:57,832 - No one has ever seen the Human Fly since that day. 561 00:21:57,833 --> 00:21:58,999 That was it. 562 00:21:59,000 --> 00:22:00,874 I mean, talk about going out with a blaze of glory. 563 00:22:00,875 --> 00:22:04,291 - In the end, the Human Fly's time in the limelight 564 00:22:04,292 --> 00:22:08,499 was brief like a rocket- fueled flash in the pan. 565 00:22:08,500 --> 00:22:11,374 30 years later, another short-lived fad 566 00:22:11,375 --> 00:22:14,416 had an amateur daredevil flying high 567 00:22:14,417 --> 00:22:16,832 before crashing back down to earth. 568 00:22:16,833 --> 00:22:20,082 [upbeat music] 569 00:22:20,083 --> 00:22:23,041 - [Hakeem] Recreational boating hit its peak in 2005, 570 00:22:23,042 --> 00:22:26,374 and at that time there was something like 80 million 571 00:22:26,375 --> 00:22:27,999 Americans spending their weekends 572 00:22:28,000 --> 00:22:30,041 and summers out on the water. 573 00:22:30,042 --> 00:22:32,750 - [Nicole] And what do people love to do when boating? 574 00:22:33,583 --> 00:22:34,707 Tubing. 575 00:22:34,708 --> 00:22:37,333 [dramatic music] 576 00:22:39,708 --> 00:22:41,041 - [Hakeem] The most fun part is 577 00:22:41,042 --> 00:22:42,374 when you get a little airborne, 578 00:22:42,375 --> 00:22:43,874 [screaming] 579 00:22:43,875 --> 00:22:46,832 but it's like for a fraction of a second. 580 00:22:46,833 --> 00:22:47,707 [upbeat music] 581 00:22:47,708 --> 00:22:49,582 So somebody got the bright idea, 582 00:22:49,583 --> 00:22:52,999 what if we can make that airborne time last even longer? 583 00:22:53,000 --> 00:22:56,957 - What I love about Americans, you got a boat, 584 00:22:56,958 --> 00:22:58,874 let's go out on the water and have a good day. 585 00:22:58,875 --> 00:23:00,416 Not good enough. 586 00:23:00,417 --> 00:23:03,166 Let's get a rope and let's put a tube on it. 587 00:23:03,167 --> 00:23:04,374 Not enough. 588 00:23:04,375 --> 00:23:06,541 What if like there's a device on the tube 589 00:23:06,542 --> 00:23:09,042 that lifts the tube into the air 590 00:23:10,958 --> 00:23:12,375 and flies it around? 591 00:23:13,417 --> 00:23:15,707 - [Henry] In the fall of 2005, 592 00:23:15,708 --> 00:23:20,500 the introduction of kite tubes takes tubing to new heights. 593 00:23:21,375 --> 00:23:25,874 [boat motor revving] 594 00:23:25,875 --> 00:23:26,875 - Kite tubes, 595 00:23:27,042 --> 00:23:30,041 they don't just bounce on a couple of waves, 596 00:23:30,042 --> 00:23:31,542 they're made to take flight. 597 00:23:33,000 --> 00:23:35,541 When you hit the wave, you lift on the handles 598 00:23:35,542 --> 00:23:37,917 and now the tube goes airborne. 599 00:23:39,042 --> 00:23:41,332 - [Nicole] Going up in the air 20 feet 600 00:23:41,333 --> 00:23:43,457 is nothing for a kite tube. 601 00:23:43,458 --> 00:23:45,874 And depending on weather conditions, 602 00:23:45,875 --> 00:23:48,332 you could even go higher than that. 603 00:23:48,333 --> 00:23:51,124 - It's tube, kite, air, boat. 604 00:23:51,125 --> 00:23:53,332 [dramatic music] 605 00:23:53,333 --> 00:23:54,917 People loved it. 606 00:23:56,042 --> 00:23:57,541 - [Hakeem] In the first nine months or so, 607 00:23:57,542 --> 00:23:59,916 they're selling 2,000 kite tubes a month. 608 00:23:59,917 --> 00:24:02,582 - [Henry] The kite tube attracts so much attention, 609 00:24:02,583 --> 00:24:04,707 it's named Product of the Year 610 00:24:04,708 --> 00:24:07,999 by the Sporting Goods Manufacturer's Association. 611 00:24:08,000 --> 00:24:11,124 It's an honor that's given a little too soon. 612 00:24:11,125 --> 00:24:12,707 [dramatic music] 613 00:24:12,708 --> 00:24:13,582 - When you're in the kite tube, 614 00:24:13,583 --> 00:24:15,124 you're not even strapped in. 615 00:24:15,125 --> 00:24:16,791 There's no safety precautions. 616 00:24:16,792 --> 00:24:18,832 You got two little handles, 617 00:24:18,833 --> 00:24:21,541 then you got your feet in this little holster but that's it. 618 00:24:21,542 --> 00:24:23,457 - [Brian] There is no steering mechanism, 619 00:24:23,458 --> 00:24:25,041 there's no braking mechanism. 620 00:24:25,042 --> 00:24:26,957 If something goes awry, 621 00:24:26,958 --> 00:24:28,541 you have no control. 622 00:24:28,542 --> 00:24:30,291 You're crashing back down to earth. 623 00:24:30,292 --> 00:24:32,958 [dramatic music] [man whooping] 624 00:24:35,917 --> 00:24:37,666 - [Steve] When you hit 25 miles per hour, 625 00:24:37,667 --> 00:24:40,291 you get about 10 feet of air. 626 00:24:40,292 --> 00:24:43,250 But you go a little faster, you're 20, 30, 40 feet. 627 00:24:45,000 --> 00:24:48,207 You're like four stories high right now, that's a high fall. 628 00:24:48,208 --> 00:24:51,000 [dramatic music] 629 00:24:52,542 --> 00:24:54,707 - [Nicole] If you fall from that height, 630 00:24:54,708 --> 00:24:57,582 the water is not going to be cushiony and soft. 631 00:24:57,583 --> 00:25:00,457 It is going to be like smacking a brick wall 632 00:25:00,458 --> 00:25:02,166 at 50 miles an hour. 633 00:25:02,167 --> 00:25:03,708 - Ohhh! 634 00:25:05,708 --> 00:25:08,582 - So of course there are dozens and dozens of injuries. 635 00:25:08,583 --> 00:25:11,957 People would break bones, would knock out teeth, 636 00:25:11,958 --> 00:25:14,916 would just skip like a stone across the water 637 00:25:14,917 --> 00:25:17,541 and two people actually died. 638 00:25:17,542 --> 00:25:19,416 - [Henry] The kite tube's popularity 639 00:25:19,417 --> 00:25:20,999 is quickly overshadowed 640 00:25:21,000 --> 00:25:24,332 by its reputation for injury and death. 641 00:25:24,333 --> 00:25:26,582 - [Don] Kite tubes are only around for about a year 642 00:25:26,583 --> 00:25:28,000 when they're taken off the market. 643 00:25:28,458 --> 00:25:32,207 - [Brian] The kite tube is a little bit like Icarus. 644 00:25:32,208 --> 00:25:37,041 It flew too close to the sun and it maimed 645 00:25:37,042 --> 00:25:40,042 and killed too many people and it was gone. 646 00:25:41,125 --> 00:25:43,374 [water splashing] 647 00:25:43,375 --> 00:25:44,625 But what an idea. 648 00:25:45,375 --> 00:25:47,041 What an idea. 649 00:25:47,042 --> 00:25:49,916 - It was reckless, it was short-lived 650 00:25:49,917 --> 00:25:54,083 and for those who tried it and survived, unforgettable. 651 00:25:58,208 --> 00:26:00,207 - Remember the expression, get off your high horse? 652 00:26:00,208 --> 00:26:02,874 Well, for certain thrill seekers, decades ago, 653 00:26:02,875 --> 00:26:06,707 the drop was steep and the landing was wet. 654 00:26:06,708 --> 00:26:08,041 [mellow music] 655 00:26:08,042 --> 00:26:09,541 - [Adam] So it's the turn of the century, 656 00:26:09,542 --> 00:26:12,791 Coney Island is still America's playground. 657 00:26:12,792 --> 00:26:15,332 One thing that has captured America's consciousness 658 00:26:15,333 --> 00:26:18,958 in their leisure activities are diving horses. 659 00:26:20,042 --> 00:26:21,957 [water splashing] 660 00:26:21,958 --> 00:26:25,749 - Coney Island is like the Disneyland of the day 661 00:26:25,750 --> 00:26:28,791 and the diving horses are an immediate hit. 662 00:26:28,792 --> 00:26:32,041 Even Thomas Edison was at one of these shows 663 00:26:32,042 --> 00:26:36,332 filming the horse plunging as part of his early experiment 664 00:26:36,333 --> 00:26:37,874 with moving pictures. 665 00:26:37,875 --> 00:26:41,374 - [Henry] Then a man named Doc Carver enters the picture. 666 00:26:41,375 --> 00:26:44,624 He's got an idea to up the ante. 667 00:26:44,625 --> 00:26:45,791 - In 1906, 668 00:26:45,792 --> 00:26:48,207 Carver introduces Lorena Lawrence, 669 00:26:48,208 --> 00:26:51,875 known as the Girl in Red, diving on horses. 670 00:26:53,250 --> 00:26:54,582 She gets on the horse 671 00:26:54,583 --> 00:26:57,916 and then they dive together 40 feet down. 672 00:26:57,917 --> 00:27:00,291 [dramatic music] [water splashing] 673 00:27:00,292 --> 00:27:03,041 - [Rutledge] Even when you hear it, it sounds preposterous. 674 00:27:03,042 --> 00:27:04,707 A horse that can high dive? 675 00:27:04,708 --> 00:27:06,541 Yeah, yeah, yeah, but there's also a person on it. 676 00:27:06,542 --> 00:27:08,749 Neither of those make sense. 677 00:27:08,750 --> 00:27:10,874 - [Henry] By the 1920s, 678 00:27:10,875 --> 00:27:14,374 Carver's ready to introduce horse diving's next big star. 679 00:27:14,375 --> 00:27:17,249 - [Negin] This 19-year-old woman in small town Georgia, 680 00:27:17,250 --> 00:27:20,624 Sonora Webster, sees an ad in the newspaper 681 00:27:20,625 --> 00:27:22,707 and it's like, do you like horses, 682 00:27:22,708 --> 00:27:25,041 do you like to dive, do you like to travel? 683 00:27:25,042 --> 00:27:26,791 And she's like, yeah, that's me. 684 00:27:26,792 --> 00:27:28,582 So she responds to this ad. 685 00:27:28,583 --> 00:27:30,166 - Sonora and Company set up shop 686 00:27:30,167 --> 00:27:32,874 on the steel pier in Atlantic City, New Jersey, 687 00:27:32,875 --> 00:27:35,042 and the audience response is massive. 688 00:27:38,208 --> 00:27:40,124 - The tanks that these horses are jumping into 689 00:27:40,125 --> 00:27:42,874 are only about 10 to 14 feet deep. 690 00:27:42,875 --> 00:27:44,832 Compare that to Olympic divers, 691 00:27:44,833 --> 00:27:48,707 their tanks have a depth of 16 feet at minimum. 692 00:27:48,708 --> 00:27:50,541 [splashing] 693 00:27:50,542 --> 00:27:52,499 - Very many people have asked me 694 00:27:52,500 --> 00:27:54,207 if I'm not afraid to ride the horses, 695 00:27:54,208 --> 00:27:57,082 and all I can say is that I would never ride them if I was. 696 00:27:57,083 --> 00:28:00,832 - [Henry] Sonora is horse diving's most renowned rider. 697 00:28:00,833 --> 00:28:04,042 But in 1931, tragedy strikes. 698 00:28:05,042 --> 00:28:07,541 - [Bryant] Usually she closes her eyes 699 00:28:07,542 --> 00:28:09,041 when she hits the water. 700 00:28:09,042 --> 00:28:12,666 One day the horse gets off in the wrong direction. 701 00:28:12,667 --> 00:28:15,458 Webster's not sure of her landing, 702 00:28:16,708 --> 00:28:19,332 and she has her eyes open. 703 00:28:19,333 --> 00:28:20,707 When she hit the water, 704 00:28:20,708 --> 00:28:22,707 the force detached 705 00:28:22,708 --> 00:28:24,041 both of her retinas. 706 00:28:24,042 --> 00:28:26,375 She would be blind from that day forward. 707 00:28:27,458 --> 00:28:29,833 - [Henry] Sonora spends a year recuperating, 708 00:28:31,000 --> 00:28:34,707 and then she starts horse diving again, blind. 709 00:28:34,708 --> 00:28:38,291 - Imagine taking that leap on a horse 710 00:28:38,292 --> 00:28:39,957 into a pool of water 711 00:28:39,958 --> 00:28:41,916 and not being able to see your landing 712 00:28:41,917 --> 00:28:43,500 or know when it's gonna happen. 713 00:28:44,542 --> 00:28:46,332 - [Hakeem] Sonora continues her horse dives 714 00:28:46,333 --> 00:28:49,582 in Atlantic City for another 11 years, 715 00:28:49,583 --> 00:28:51,541 and that cements her in history 716 00:28:51,542 --> 00:28:55,249 as the last great horse diving star. 717 00:28:55,250 --> 00:28:57,082 - [Adam] It finally stops in 1978 718 00:28:57,083 --> 00:28:59,874 and it's not out of concern for the rider's welfare, 719 00:28:59,875 --> 00:29:01,457 it's actually because of the potential 720 00:29:01,458 --> 00:29:04,375 of profound injury to the horse. 721 00:29:05,583 --> 00:29:07,249 - As horse diving faded, [mellow music] 722 00:29:07,250 --> 00:29:10,207 Americans hit the water on surfboards 723 00:29:10,208 --> 00:29:12,374 and then someone had the bright idea 724 00:29:12,375 --> 00:29:15,291 to put wheels on a board and hit the streets. 725 00:29:15,292 --> 00:29:18,249 Today, skateboarding is an Olympic sport 726 00:29:18,250 --> 00:29:21,332 where riders are judged on their style, 727 00:29:21,333 --> 00:29:23,916 but back in the 70s, what really mattered 728 00:29:23,917 --> 00:29:26,291 was how fast you could go. 729 00:29:26,292 --> 00:29:27,791 [upbeat music] 730 00:29:27,792 --> 00:29:31,207 - [Jason] Skateboarding, it starts as just a local fad, 731 00:29:31,208 --> 00:29:34,041 dominating the Southern California culture. 732 00:29:34,042 --> 00:29:38,082 By the 1970s, it grew to become a national trend. 733 00:29:38,083 --> 00:29:39,832 - [Henry] Skateboard competitions begin 734 00:29:39,833 --> 00:29:41,499 to pop up everywhere, 735 00:29:41,500 --> 00:29:44,874 but those early competitions usually involve simple tricks 736 00:29:44,875 --> 00:29:47,999 or maneuvering around orange street cones. 737 00:29:48,000 --> 00:29:49,749 - The boards in those days were primitive, 738 00:29:49,750 --> 00:29:51,457 nothing like today. 739 00:29:51,458 --> 00:29:53,332 There were basically wood planks 740 00:29:53,333 --> 00:29:55,791 with roller skate wheels attached. 741 00:29:55,792 --> 00:29:57,207 - [Jason] How fast can we go 742 00:29:57,208 --> 00:29:59,792 before we burn the wheels into molten plastic? 743 00:30:01,042 --> 00:30:04,249 And the answer was Signal Hill. 744 00:30:04,250 --> 00:30:08,166 - [Henry] In 1975, in the hilltop town of Signal Hill 745 00:30:08,167 --> 00:30:11,874 near Long Beach, a promoter decides to launch a contest 746 00:30:11,875 --> 00:30:14,749 that will have competitors racing downhill 747 00:30:14,750 --> 00:30:17,916 in what he calls speed runs. 748 00:30:17,917 --> 00:30:20,832 - [Nicole] Signal Hill is about 365 feet 749 00:30:20,833 --> 00:30:23,041 above Long Beach in California. 750 00:30:23,042 --> 00:30:26,041 It has this huge 30-degree incline on Hill Street, 751 00:30:26,042 --> 00:30:28,582 which is perfect for these insane 752 00:30:28,583 --> 00:30:30,624 downhill speed competitions. 753 00:30:30,625 --> 00:30:33,874 - [Hakeem] When a skater goes down the incline, 754 00:30:33,875 --> 00:30:38,207 their speed increases with the time squared. 755 00:30:38,208 --> 00:30:40,582 After one second, you have a speed. 756 00:30:40,583 --> 00:30:43,332 After two seconds, you have four times that speed, 757 00:30:43,333 --> 00:30:45,624 so your speed increases rapidly. 758 00:30:45,625 --> 00:30:48,500 The higher the hill, the bigger the speed you gain. 759 00:30:49,958 --> 00:30:51,332 - [Jason] The skateboarders could possibly 760 00:30:51,333 --> 00:30:54,999 reach speeds of up to 50 miles an hour. 761 00:30:55,000 --> 00:30:56,999 Now, put this into perspective. 762 00:30:57,000 --> 00:30:59,291 The US government has just put a national speed limit 763 00:30:59,292 --> 00:31:02,874 on automobiles at 55 miles an hour. 764 00:31:02,875 --> 00:31:05,000 What could go wrong? 765 00:31:05,917 --> 00:31:06,791 - [Henry] The answer? 766 00:31:06,792 --> 00:31:07,999 Plenty. 767 00:31:08,000 --> 00:31:10,416 Only six competitors dare to show up 768 00:31:10,417 --> 00:31:13,749 but after getting a sneak peek of the steep downhill, 769 00:31:13,750 --> 00:31:16,582 four drop out, leaving just Guy Grundy 770 00:31:16,583 --> 00:31:18,374 and Garrison Hitchcock. 771 00:31:18,375 --> 00:31:20,666 - [Jason] Grundy, he comes prepared 772 00:31:20,667 --> 00:31:22,707 in a leather suit and a helmet. 773 00:31:22,708 --> 00:31:23,707 Other people, 774 00:31:23,708 --> 00:31:24,999 not so much. 775 00:31:25,000 --> 00:31:26,707 One guy shows up in shorts and t-shirt. 776 00:31:26,708 --> 00:31:31,374 He looks at the hill and he's like, no, I'm not doing that. 777 00:31:31,375 --> 00:31:32,417 You guys are nuts. 778 00:31:34,250 --> 00:31:36,666 - [Michele] Grundy ends up winning the competition. 779 00:31:36,667 --> 00:31:39,207 [dramatic music] 780 00:31:39,208 --> 00:31:43,417 He sets a downhill speed record, 50.2 miles per hour. 781 00:31:44,708 --> 00:31:47,124 - Garrison Hitchcock, he doesn't walk away so happy. 782 00:31:47,125 --> 00:31:49,499 He falls, dislocates his shoulder 783 00:31:49,500 --> 00:31:51,374 and he's whisked away in an ambulance. 784 00:31:51,375 --> 00:31:54,082 - [Henry] But that doesn't put a damper on these speed runs. 785 00:31:54,083 --> 00:31:55,707 Quite the opposite. 786 00:31:55,708 --> 00:31:57,458 It makes them even more popular. 787 00:31:59,042 --> 00:32:00,707 - So the next event occurs 788 00:32:00,708 --> 00:32:03,249 and there's thousands of spectators. 789 00:32:03,250 --> 00:32:06,707 They are rowdy, they want to see somebody wipe out. 790 00:32:06,708 --> 00:32:09,874 [dramatic music] 791 00:32:09,875 --> 00:32:11,249 - In 1977, 792 00:32:11,250 --> 00:32:14,917 one of Signal Hill's first female competitors 793 00:32:15,958 --> 00:32:17,542 is a 21-year-old named Tina Trefethen. 794 00:32:19,208 --> 00:32:24,208 She tops the speed record at over 57 miles an hour. 795 00:32:24,667 --> 00:32:25,957 57! 796 00:32:25,958 --> 00:32:27,083 Here's the bad news. 797 00:32:28,208 --> 00:32:33,083 She hits a pole, she breaks both wrists, 798 00:32:34,208 --> 00:32:37,457 cracks some ribs, and she even loses a lung. 799 00:32:37,458 --> 00:32:39,749 - [Henry] The chaos of these speed runs 800 00:32:39,750 --> 00:32:42,958 eventually gets the attention of lawmakers. 801 00:32:44,042 --> 00:32:45,166 - In 1980, 802 00:32:45,167 --> 00:32:47,166 LA County passed a law that said 803 00:32:47,167 --> 00:32:50,874 the top speed for a skateboard was 10 miles an hour. 804 00:32:50,875 --> 00:32:52,749 So it effectively just ended 805 00:32:52,750 --> 00:32:54,999 all of those speed runs overnight, 806 00:32:55,000 --> 00:32:57,374 which also means that none of those speed records 807 00:32:57,375 --> 00:32:59,958 that have been set would ever be broken again. 808 00:33:02,417 --> 00:33:04,207 [mellow music] - Shattered bones heal, 809 00:33:04,208 --> 00:33:08,207 but holding a speed record in a defunct skateboard race? 810 00:33:08,208 --> 00:33:10,125 That is something that can never be broken. 811 00:33:14,167 --> 00:33:15,541 - Back in the 1800s, 812 00:33:15,542 --> 00:33:17,541 riding the rails was the best way to see the country. 813 00:33:17,542 --> 00:33:19,999 Train tracks crisscrossed America, 814 00:33:20,000 --> 00:33:23,541 connecting cities from sea to shining sea, 815 00:33:23,542 --> 00:33:26,249 but only the most adventurous passengers 816 00:33:26,250 --> 00:33:28,874 would dare to ride the unique railways 817 00:33:28,875 --> 00:33:30,957 found at Coney Island. 818 00:33:30,958 --> 00:33:32,457 [upbeat music] 819 00:33:32,458 --> 00:33:35,041 - [Adam] Coney Island in the 1880s 820 00:33:35,042 --> 00:33:37,999 is where the entire world comes to play 821 00:33:38,000 --> 00:33:40,374 and be mystified and astounded. 822 00:33:40,375 --> 00:33:43,749 And the marquee attraction of the day 823 00:33:43,750 --> 00:33:46,249 was the Switchback Railway 824 00:33:46,250 --> 00:33:48,916 and it was raking in the modern equivalent 825 00:33:48,917 --> 00:33:52,624 of $22,000 a day. 826 00:33:52,625 --> 00:33:53,707 [dramatic music] 827 00:33:53,708 --> 00:33:55,666 - [Natalia] The Switchback topped out at 828 00:33:55,667 --> 00:33:56,916 six miles per hour. 829 00:33:56,917 --> 00:33:59,874 This is really slow compared to a modern rollercoaster, 830 00:33:59,875 --> 00:34:01,374 but think that back then, 831 00:34:01,375 --> 00:34:03,541 not only were roller coasters the new thing, 832 00:34:03,542 --> 00:34:06,124 but very few people were driving around in cars, 833 00:34:06,125 --> 00:34:07,874 so it was actually pretty exciting. 834 00:34:07,875 --> 00:34:09,832 - [Bryant] The people who own the amusement piers 835 00:34:09,833 --> 00:34:11,666 begin to think, well, 836 00:34:11,667 --> 00:34:13,291 how can they up the ante? 837 00:34:13,292 --> 00:34:15,207 How can they make it go faster? 838 00:34:15,208 --> 00:34:17,582 How can they increase the thrill? 839 00:34:17,583 --> 00:34:19,291 - [Henry] What they come up with is 840 00:34:19,292 --> 00:34:22,374 the first American coaster to go upside down. 841 00:34:22,375 --> 00:34:25,124 It's called the Flip Flap Railway. 842 00:34:25,125 --> 00:34:28,207 And at the time, it was the fastest freestanding 843 00:34:28,208 --> 00:34:31,999 rollercoaster in the world because it has to be. 844 00:34:32,000 --> 00:34:33,124 - [Hakeem] The key to making 845 00:34:33,125 --> 00:34:35,374 this rollercoaster work is speed, 846 00:34:35,375 --> 00:34:36,916 so that once you start going around the loop, 847 00:34:36,917 --> 00:34:38,082 you don't stall at 848 00:34:38,083 --> 00:34:39,874 the top and fall down. 849 00:34:39,875 --> 00:34:43,332 - [Nicole] Because there's nothing but your own body weight 850 00:34:43,333 --> 00:34:45,707 and G-force holding you down, 851 00:34:45,708 --> 00:34:48,416 you have no seat belt, you have no harness, 852 00:34:48,417 --> 00:34:50,207 you have nothing but yourself, 853 00:34:50,208 --> 00:34:51,374 God and the wind. 854 00:34:51,375 --> 00:34:53,457 [dramatic music] [people screaming] 855 00:34:53,458 --> 00:34:56,541 - [Adam] The Flip Flap Railway is a circle 856 00:34:56,542 --> 00:34:59,582 that's about 25 feet in diameter, 857 00:34:59,583 --> 00:35:02,207 and in order to generate enough speed, 858 00:35:02,208 --> 00:35:04,874 there's an almost pure vertical drop 859 00:35:04,875 --> 00:35:07,249 where the cars reach 860 00:35:07,250 --> 00:35:09,541 45 miles an hour. 861 00:35:09,542 --> 00:35:11,624 [screaming] 862 00:35:11,625 --> 00:35:12,916 - [Don] To put it in perspective, 863 00:35:12,917 --> 00:35:14,541 the first auto race in the US 864 00:35:14,542 --> 00:35:17,791 is held the same year the Flip Flap opens. 865 00:35:17,792 --> 00:35:21,999 And the cars in that race average seven miles per hour. 866 00:35:22,000 --> 00:35:23,457 Seven. 867 00:35:23,458 --> 00:35:27,249 - [Nicole] So the Flip Flap is extremely fast. 868 00:35:27,250 --> 00:35:29,207 And even in today's standards, 869 00:35:29,208 --> 00:35:33,457 45 miles per hour on a roller coaster is getting it. 870 00:35:33,458 --> 00:35:35,791 - [Henry] The speed is ahead of its time. 871 00:35:35,792 --> 00:35:37,541 But as far as safety measures, 872 00:35:37,542 --> 00:35:39,791 they're making that up as they go along. 873 00:35:39,792 --> 00:35:41,916 - In the late 1800s, 874 00:35:41,917 --> 00:35:43,124 there was no real regulation. 875 00:35:43,125 --> 00:35:45,124 I mean, amusement parks were new, 876 00:35:45,125 --> 00:35:47,749 and so this was all experimental. 877 00:35:47,750 --> 00:35:51,249 - Modern roller coasters are made with this teardrop shape. 878 00:35:51,250 --> 00:35:54,207 That way you pull less G-forces at the bottom 879 00:35:54,208 --> 00:35:57,416 than you otherwise would in a circular design. 880 00:35:57,417 --> 00:35:59,457 - Just for perspective, 881 00:35:59,458 --> 00:36:02,541 a space launch generates three Gs. 882 00:36:02,542 --> 00:36:04,666 [rocket roaring] 883 00:36:04,667 --> 00:36:08,499 Six Gs is the maximum a human being 884 00:36:08,500 --> 00:36:11,832 without protective equipment can really stand. 885 00:36:11,833 --> 00:36:14,124 - [Hakeem] So the riders of the Flip Flap, 886 00:36:14,125 --> 00:36:17,207 they will pull 12 Gs. 887 00:36:17,208 --> 00:36:19,374 This is not safe. 888 00:36:19,375 --> 00:36:23,124 - [Adam] So what 12 Gs means is you'll feel a pressure 889 00:36:23,125 --> 00:36:25,082 12 times your own body 890 00:36:25,083 --> 00:36:27,582 weight pressing down on you. 891 00:36:27,583 --> 00:36:32,332 So that means a 50-pound child would feel 600 pounds 892 00:36:32,333 --> 00:36:36,249 of invisible weight pressing down on them. 893 00:36:36,250 --> 00:36:37,749 - [Brian] The scariest rollercoaster 894 00:36:37,750 --> 00:36:39,332 that any of us have been on today 895 00:36:39,333 --> 00:36:42,833 tops out at about five Gs. 896 00:36:43,875 --> 00:36:45,791 These people were putting these poor suckers 897 00:36:45,792 --> 00:36:47,374 on a wooden trolley cart 898 00:36:47,375 --> 00:36:49,417 that whipped around like that. 899 00:36:50,375 --> 00:36:51,541 Astronauts couldn't put up with it. 900 00:36:51,542 --> 00:36:52,791 Do you understand what I'm saying? 901 00:36:52,792 --> 00:36:55,957 Like astronauts training to go to space 902 00:36:55,958 --> 00:36:58,541 don't deal with that many Gs. 903 00:36:58,542 --> 00:37:00,082 - [Nicole] By today's standards, 904 00:37:00,083 --> 00:37:02,166 we get on these roller coasters and we feel at home. 905 00:37:02,167 --> 00:37:04,416 We have seat belts, we have harnesses. 906 00:37:04,417 --> 00:37:06,333 Everything is holding us in. 907 00:37:07,208 --> 00:37:08,707 Not then. 908 00:37:08,708 --> 00:37:11,332 - [Adam] People are without a harness, 909 00:37:11,333 --> 00:37:14,082 just with enough money to ride the rollercoaster 910 00:37:14,083 --> 00:37:15,833 and a little bit of a death wish. 911 00:37:16,750 --> 00:37:17,707 - [Brian] People were passing out, 912 00:37:17,708 --> 00:37:20,332 they were getting bloody noses. 913 00:37:20,333 --> 00:37:22,499 Like they were seeing God. 914 00:37:22,500 --> 00:37:24,332 Their brains were rattling around their skulls. 915 00:37:24,333 --> 00:37:26,624 They were getting flattened like pancakes, 916 00:37:26,625 --> 00:37:27,833 and then they'd have to pay a nickel 917 00:37:28,042 --> 00:37:30,041 or something like that for the pleasure of it. 918 00:37:30,042 --> 00:37:34,458 - Coney Island's Flip Flap Railway closed for good in 1902 919 00:37:34,708 --> 00:37:36,625 because ultimately it was a money loser. 920 00:37:40,667 --> 00:37:42,374 - Today, in-flight entertainment 921 00:37:42,375 --> 00:37:44,457 for your next plane trip might include watching a movie 922 00:37:44,458 --> 00:37:46,874 or bingeing your favorite TV show. 923 00:37:46,875 --> 00:37:50,041 But a century ago, in-flight entertainment 924 00:37:50,042 --> 00:37:53,041 meant something else entirely. 925 00:37:53,042 --> 00:37:54,416 [engines revving] 926 00:37:54,417 --> 00:37:55,749 - [Natalia] In the 1920s, 927 00:37:55,750 --> 00:37:58,166 there's a lot of enthusiasm about aviation. 928 00:37:58,167 --> 00:38:00,207 People are really excited about 929 00:38:00,208 --> 00:38:02,499 exploring the skies in the world. 930 00:38:02,500 --> 00:38:04,374 - [Hakeem] World War I had a huge impact 931 00:38:04,375 --> 00:38:06,207 on aircraft technology. 932 00:38:06,208 --> 00:38:07,832 They were made more maneuverable, 933 00:38:07,833 --> 00:38:09,166 they were made faster, 934 00:38:09,167 --> 00:38:11,207 but when World War I ended, 935 00:38:11,208 --> 00:38:13,207 there was a surplus of airplanes. 936 00:38:13,208 --> 00:38:14,666 So what did the government do? 937 00:38:14,667 --> 00:38:17,292 They began to sell them to civilians. 938 00:38:18,333 --> 00:38:19,582 - [Jason] In the true American spirit, 939 00:38:19,583 --> 00:38:20,957 these new airplane owners, 940 00:38:20,958 --> 00:38:23,542 they look for a way to monetize their new hobby. 941 00:38:24,708 --> 00:38:27,832 - [Henry] What they come up with is barnstorming. 942 00:38:27,833 --> 00:38:29,207 [dramatic music] 943 00:38:29,208 --> 00:38:30,666 - What they would do is land these planes 944 00:38:30,667 --> 00:38:32,582 in the middle of these huge farms 945 00:38:32,583 --> 00:38:34,957 and they would invite people to go for rides with them. 946 00:38:34,958 --> 00:38:37,749 And of course, they're charging a fee for this. 947 00:38:37,750 --> 00:38:40,207 - Some pilots were just raking in cash. 948 00:38:40,208 --> 00:38:42,582 It was all about trying to make your ride 949 00:38:42,583 --> 00:38:44,707 better than the next person. 950 00:38:44,708 --> 00:38:48,332 So it very quickly became a game of showmanship. 951 00:38:48,333 --> 00:38:49,707 [engine roaring] 952 00:38:49,708 --> 00:38:52,207 Because they were trying to up the ante, 953 00:38:52,208 --> 00:38:53,541 they got the idea of maybe 954 00:38:53,542 --> 00:38:55,041 we could take someone else up there with us 955 00:38:55,042 --> 00:38:56,874 and do some stunts on the plane, 956 00:38:56,875 --> 00:38:59,207 but fly low enough that people could see it. 957 00:38:59,208 --> 00:39:00,541 And that's really where 958 00:39:00,542 --> 00:39:02,458 the term aerialist came from. 959 00:39:06,500 --> 00:39:07,999 - [Rutlidge] We had wing walkers 960 00:39:08,000 --> 00:39:09,999 and people that would stand on top of the plane. 961 00:39:10,000 --> 00:39:13,416 When it got really crazy is when the wing walkers decided 962 00:39:13,417 --> 00:39:16,332 maybe I could run from the wing of this plane 963 00:39:16,333 --> 00:39:18,666 and jump onto the wings of another plane. 964 00:39:18,667 --> 00:39:21,374 No parachute, no tethers, just running and going for it. 965 00:39:21,375 --> 00:39:24,082 I mean, talk about dangerous. 966 00:39:24,083 --> 00:39:25,375 Sheesh. 967 00:39:26,833 --> 00:39:29,499 - [Henry] The stunts are hair raising, potentially deadly, 968 00:39:29,500 --> 00:39:33,666 and with no government oversight, anything goes. 969 00:39:33,667 --> 00:39:36,832 - One early barnstorming celebrity was named Eddie Angel, 970 00:39:36,833 --> 00:39:39,374 who wouldd perform a stunt called the Dive of Death, 971 00:39:39,375 --> 00:39:40,792 which he would do at night. 972 00:39:40,917 --> 00:39:44,082 He would actually free fall from about 5,000 feet, 973 00:39:44,083 --> 00:39:47,791 holding two flashlights so you could keep track of him 974 00:39:47,792 --> 00:39:49,457 and he wouldn't open his parachute 975 00:39:49,458 --> 00:39:51,416 until he could see the ground. 976 00:39:51,417 --> 00:39:52,666 - [Romi] You want to play 977 00:39:52,667 --> 00:39:54,249 a tennis match a mile up in the air? 978 00:39:54,250 --> 00:39:55,500 They actually set one up. 979 00:39:56,750 --> 00:39:58,082 Were they watching the tennis match 980 00:39:58,083 --> 00:39:59,124 or were they hoping for 981 00:39:59,125 --> 00:40:01,207 something bad to happen? 982 00:40:01,208 --> 00:40:03,457 Don't know, but it was entertaining. 983 00:40:03,458 --> 00:40:04,999 [dramatic music] 984 00:40:05,000 --> 00:40:06,166 - A 10-year-old girl by 985 00:40:06,167 --> 00:40:08,541 the name of Mildred Unger, 986 00:40:08,542 --> 00:40:11,916 she does the Charleston on the wings of a biplane. 987 00:40:11,917 --> 00:40:14,041 Now, that's crazy enough just to say, 988 00:40:14,042 --> 00:40:15,832 hey, she danced on the wings of a biplane, 989 00:40:15,833 --> 00:40:17,624 but she did it without a harness 990 00:40:17,625 --> 00:40:19,749 and she did it without a tether 991 00:40:19,750 --> 00:40:22,707 and presumably without a loving parent. 992 00:40:22,708 --> 00:40:24,791 - [Henry] Barnstorming accidents are frequent. 993 00:40:24,792 --> 00:40:29,833 In 1923 alone, there are 179 documented incidents. 994 00:40:30,875 --> 00:40:34,207 85 people are killed and 126 injured. 995 00:40:34,208 --> 00:40:38,041 Aviation safety becomes a top priority. 996 00:40:38,042 --> 00:40:39,416 [dramatic music] 997 00:40:39,417 --> 00:40:41,791 - President Coolidge passed the Air Commerce Act in 1926, 998 00:40:41,792 --> 00:40:43,916 which basically said all the planes 999 00:40:43,917 --> 00:40:46,541 had to be certified and inspected. 1000 00:40:46,542 --> 00:40:47,832 - [Henry] And for the first time 1001 00:40:47,833 --> 00:40:50,374 pilots now need to be licensed. 1002 00:40:50,375 --> 00:40:52,749 - Today there's an FAA and restrictive 1003 00:40:52,750 --> 00:40:54,582 life insurance policies that ensure 1004 00:40:54,583 --> 00:40:56,999 that this kind of thing will never happen again. 1005 00:40:57,000 --> 00:40:58,708 [engine revving] 1006 00:40:59,625 --> 00:41:01,124 - I do always admire the stuntmen 1007 00:41:01,125 --> 00:41:02,541 and the people who are willing 1008 00:41:02,542 --> 00:41:04,707 to put their lives, sometimes stupidly, 1009 00:41:04,708 --> 00:41:06,874 in danger for our entertainment. 1010 00:41:06,875 --> 00:41:09,416 They may lose life, they may lose limb, 1011 00:41:09,417 --> 00:41:10,499 [explosion] 1012 00:41:10,500 --> 00:41:13,332 but I posit that these people 1013 00:41:13,333 --> 00:41:15,874 are just as heroic as astronauts 1014 00:41:15,875 --> 00:41:17,541 because they're putting their bodies on the line 1015 00:41:17,542 --> 00:41:19,166 for our entertainment. 1016 00:41:19,167 --> 00:41:20,249 [dramatic music] 1017 00:41:20,250 --> 00:41:21,541 - Looking back on all the things 1018 00:41:21,542 --> 00:41:22,957 that we did to get our adrenaline pumping, 1019 00:41:22,958 --> 00:41:25,791 whether it was racing cars at a murderdrome 1020 00:41:25,792 --> 00:41:28,082 or high diving on horses 1021 00:41:28,083 --> 00:41:31,374 or cutting our teeth on an extreme water slide, 1022 00:41:31,375 --> 00:41:33,541 we didn't always stick the landing, 1023 00:41:33,542 --> 00:41:37,332 but the thrills were usually worth the spills 1024 00:41:37,333 --> 00:41:41,541 and that's why our Hazardous History was so exhilarating. 1025 00:41:41,542 --> 00:41:44,708 [dramatic music]