A short Biography of "Blondin"  

[Source Wikipedia - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Charles_Blondin]

Born 28 February 1824  –  Died 23 February 1897)

French tightrope walker and acrobat, "Blondin" was born in St Omer, France.

His real name was Jean-François Gravelet, and was known also by the names "Blondin" or Jean-François Blondin, or more simply "The Great Blondin". When five years old he was sent to the École de Gymnase at Lyon and, after six months training as an acrobat, made his first public appearance as "The Little Wonder". His superior skill and grace as well as the originality of the settings of his acts, made him a popular favourite.

Blondin especially owed his celebrity and fortune to his idea of crossing the gorge below Niagara Falls on a tightrope, 1100 feet (335 m) long, 160 feet (50 m) above the water. This he accomplished, first on June 30, 1859, a number of times, always with different theatric variations: blindfold, in a sack, trundling a wheelbarrow, on stilts, carrying a man (his manager, Harry Colcord) on his back, sitting down midway while he cooked and ate an omelette.

In 1861, Blondin first appeared in London, at the Crystal Palace, turning somersaults on stilts on a rope stretched across the central transept, 70 feet (20 m) from the ground. In 1862 he again gave a series of performances at the Crystal Palace, and elsewhere in England, and on the continent.

In 1873, Blondin crossed Edgbaston Reservoir in Birmingham. A statue built in 1992 on the nearby Ladywood Middleway marks his feat.

After a period of retirement Blondin reappeared in 1880, his final performance being in Belfast in 1896. He is said to have died of diabetes in Ealing, London at the age of 73 and is buried in Kensal Green Cemetery, although there were rumours following his death of his abdicating to a quiet life under the nom de plume of Julio DeMasi.

Interesting and Unusual Facts:

Kensal Green Cemetery was the first public Cemetery in London and was established in 1827 in a 70 acre site with separate Chapels for Anglicans and Dissenters.

Blondin Orchard, in Ealing, West London, covers around a fifth of a 2-hectare allotment that has been owned by the London Borough of Ealing since 1926. Before that it was part of a local family farm estate and from 1750-1834 formed part of the Brentford Nursery, which specialised in fruit trees and held more than 300 apple varieties. The whole area is named after the Frenchman Charles Blondin, Niagara Falls tightrope walker, who settled here upon retirement. His feats (and a couple of apple varieties) are celebrated in local road names.