Karl wallenda biography
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Karl Wallenda
German stunt performer (–)
Karl Wallenda (; January 21, – March 22, ) was a German-American high wire artist. He was the founder of The Flying Wallendas, a daredevil circus troupe whose members performed dangerous stunts far above the ground, often without a safety net.
Personal life
[edit]Wallenda was born in in Magdeburg, Germany.[1] His parents were Kunigunde (Jameson) and Engelbert Wallenda,[2][page&#;needed] and he began performing with his family at the age of six.[1]
The Great Wallendas
[edit]The Great Wallendas were noted throughout Europe for their four-man pyramid and cycling on the high wire. The act moved to the United States in , performing as freelancers. In , they developed the unequaled three-tier 7-Man Pyramid. Karl Wallenda had the idea since , but it took until , when he and his brother Hermann developed it and had the right acrobats for it. The Great Wallendas, a made-for-TV movie starring
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Wallenda: A Biography of Karl Wallenda
Death stalks high wire " the wire shuddered the seven people suspended for an instatn on the edge of certain death some fell and died others still go on this id the truth of the dangerous life of a hig wore artiste " So goes the suspenseful story of the life of Karl Wallenda; the most famous circus performer of this century. From the childhood days of poverty and performances in the Biergartens of World War One Germany to earn enough money to feed his family to the days of trimph and tradgedy as the headline act for Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus the story of Karl Wallenda ia a tale of unremitting courage, gargantuan strength and simple pride in doing the one thing he could do. Karl Wallenfa has thrilled audiences for over 60 years and now his legend comes to you in this exciting book. You will be thrilled to read of the conquest of fear in the creation of heretofore impossible feats and saddened with the inevitable deaths when
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The Flying Wallendas
Acrobatic performers
"Wallenda" redirects here. For the teaterpjäs film, see Wallenda (film).
The Flying Wallendas is a circus act and group of daredevil stunt performers who perform highwire acts without a safety net. They were first known as The Great Wallendas, but the current name was coined by the press in the s and has stayed since.
History
[edit]Karl Wallenda was born in Magdeburg, Germany, in to an old circus family, and began performing at the age of six. While still in his teens he answered an ad for a "hand balancer with courage." His employer, Louis Weitzman, taught him the trade. In , Karl put together his own act with his brother Herman, Joseph Geiger, and a teenage girl, Helen Kreis, who eventually became his wife.
The act toured Europe for several years, and when John Ringling saw them perform in Cuba, he quickly hired them to perform at the Ringling Brothers and Barnum & Bailey Circus. In , they debuted at Madison Square Garde