NIAGARA FALLS, NY - Nik Wallenda, a member of the famed "Flying Wallendas" family of aerialists, completed a historic tightrope crossing through the mist over Niagara Falls Gorge on Friday, stepping from a 2-inch wire (5 cm) onto safe ground in Canada to wild cheers from a crowd of thousands.
Wallenda made the walk from the US side of the falls to the Canadian side, a journey of 1,800 feet (550 meters) over treacherous waters and rocks, in a little more than 25 minutes.More than a century ago, an aerialist known as the Great Blondin walked a high wire strung farther down the gorge, but a trek over the brink of the falls had never before been attempted.
Along the way, suspended over the falls, Wallenda, 33, took small, steady steps on a slick cable through swirling winds.
