JUNE 15th - You Can't go Down in History for Getting Kicked in the Nuts



Carlisle D. Graham was just a regular English cooper who came to America in the late 1800’s looking to continue making his barrels. But Graham must have had higher aspirations for himself and his barrels. And he was probably a bit of an adrenaline junkie. And probably a little bit crazy. Ole Carlisle got the grand idea that he was going to shoot the rapids of Niagara Falls in one of the barrels he had made. He did so for the first time 1886. Then he did it again later that year, this time leaving his head out of the barrel and subsequently impairing his hearing. On this day in 1887, Graham made his third trip in his barrel. He made two more trips after that, almost suffocating on the last one in 1901, when he got caught in a whirlpool. Graham didn’t go down the falls, as apparently his craziness had some bounds. But he did get that ball rolling--Annie Taylor became the first to try it 1901. Frankly, I think they’re all nuts. Apparently, people still try this. They build special barrels and fall down the waterfall to see if they can survive. I get the concept of adrenaline and that your are never more alive than when your life is in jeopardy. The whole Bodhi from Point Break philosophy of life, but there is absolutely nothing appealing about stuffing one's self in a barrel and shooting rapids or going down a waterfall. Getting kicked in the gonads might increase adrenaline and could even be enjoyable for those that have the good fortune to be spectators to the situation, but I would want to do that either. But hey, Carlisle D. Graham went down in history. And you can’t do that just for getting kicked in the nuts. Though America’s Funniest Home Videos or YouTube might give you a modicum of notoriety.

I still think there might have been a more enjoyable way to risk your life than barrel rolling down Niagara Falls though.

This Day has been Marked.

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