Image via Complex Original
The American flag's colors represent everything this country stands for--most of all, freedom. In the case of legendary stuntman and daredevil motorcyclist Evel Knievel, the red, white and blue colors on his jumpsuit meant the freedom to fly. Like R. Kelly, Knievel believed he could touch the sky, soaring over endless rows of cars, trucks, buses, or whatever other unlikely items he could fit between two ramps. During the course of his career, Knievel attempted dozens of jumps, breaking just about every bone in his body along the way. But even when he failed he won. We've carefully analyzed the risk factors of every stunt, compiled our research, and put together this list of Evel Knievel's 25 Most Dangerous Jumps. Make sure you have a neck brace ready.
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25. A Crate Filled With Rattlesnakes and a Mountain Lion
Date: Summer 1965
Location: Evel Knievel's motorcycle dealership in Moses Lake, WA
Successful Jump: No
Injuries Sustained: Sprained ankle
Evel Knievel spent his entire career getting injured. So, it's sort of ironic that, during the first stunt of his storied career, he almost hurt a bunch of other people instead of himself. In order to drum up interest for his dealership, he announced that he was going to attempt this jump as a publicity stunt and attracted more than 1,000 spectators. But, when he landed, the back tire of his bike accidentally hit the back of the crate and opened it up and sent a gang of rattlesnakes scurrying into the crowd. Oops.
24. A 90-Foot Tank Filled With 13 Sharks
Date: January 31, 1977
Location: Chicago International Amphitheatre in Chicago, IL
Successful Jump: No
Injuries Sustained: Two broken arms
This jump would have been way more dangerous-and ranked way higher on this list-ha Knievel actually been able to attempt it. Instead, he lost control of his Harley during a practice jump, crashed into a cameraman, and ruined the main event. But, when you consider the other things that could have gone wrong with this particular jump, that might have been a best-case scenario for him.
23. 13 Cars
Date: May 25, 1968
Location: Beeline Dragway in Scottsdale, AZ
Successful Jump: No
Injuries Sustained: Broken leg and fractured foot
Although he completed this jump dozens of times in his career, he landed awkwardly on this one and had to be sidelined for more than a month. It proved that even the most routine Even Knievel jump was still super dangerous.
22. 11 Cars
Date: January 23, 1970
Location: Cow Palace in Daly City, CA
Successful Jump: Yes
Injuries Sustained: None
The jump that Knievel made here went off without a hitch. But, it's what happened after the jump that made this jump so dangerous. Knievel was outspoken about drug use in the U.S. and gangs like the Hell's Angels during his career. So, at this particular event, a group of Hell's Angels gathered and caused a small riot after someone threw a tire iron at Knievel. He was able to fight them off, but it cast a shadow over an otherwise successful event.
21. 13 Cars
Date: August 16, 1970
Location: Pocono International Raceway in Long Pond, PA
Successful Jump: No
Injuries Sustained: Cracked vertebra, broken shoulder, and broken hand
This event was a good example of just how crazy Knievel was. Even though he broke his back, his shoulder, AND his hand, he still climbed a ladder after the jump to thank the crowd for coming. Dude, just go to the hospital!
20. 15 Cars
Date: March 25, 1967
Location: Ascot Park Speedway in Gardena, CA
Successful Jump: Yes
Injuries Sustained: None
It had been less than a year since Knievel broke his arm and ribs by crash-landing during an attempted jump over 13 cars. Yet, he raised the stakes once again and attempted a leap over 15 cars, during his first appearance on ABC's Wide World of Sports. Fortunately, he made the most of the opportunity and landed it successfully.
19. 13 Cars
Date: January 8, 1971
Location: Astrodome in Houston, TX
Successful Jump: Yes
Injuries Sustained: None
Even though he “only” jumped 13 cars, he did it in front of more than 100,000 people, which was a new Astrodome record. So, there was more pressure on him here than at almost any other point in his career. And, he landed the jump not once, but twice, as he also repeated the feat the following day in front of another historic crowd.
18. 14 Cars
Date: October 23, 1971
Location: Portland Memorial Coliseum in Portland, OR
Successful Jump: Yes
Injuries Sustained: None
Before sticking the landing on this, he had already completed longer, more impressive jumps. But, this one helped him set a new world indoor record, which is just one of the many records that he held throughout his career.
17. 100 Rattlesnakes and Two Vans
Date: April 8, 1972
Location: Emerson Ranch in Plymouth, CA
Successful Jump: Yes
Injuries Sustained: None
Two vans? Ehhh, no big deal. But, throw a bunch of rattlesnakes inside of them, and now we're talking!
16. 16 Cars
Date: September 16, 1971
Location: Great Barrington Fair in Great Barrington, MA
Successful Jump: No
Injuries Sustained: Sprained wrist
Originally, Knievel planned on attempting a much longer jump than this. But, because of rain, he had to shorten it. He probably should have just cancelled it altogether, though, because he actually took a huge spill, after clearing the jump and falling on wet grass. But, then again, if he had cancelled jumps due to dangerous conditions, he just wouldn't be Evel Knievel, now would he?
15. 18 Cars
Date: April 5, 1970
Location: Seattle International Raceway in Kent, WA
Successful Jump: Yes
Injuries Sustained: None
Knievel came within inches of crashing into a safety ramp installed near the 13th car. But, he managed to keep his composure long enough to stick the 120-foot jump and avoid doing any harm to himself or his bike. Sometimes, it really is better to be lucky than good.
14. 13 Mack Trucks
Date: August 20, 1974
Location: Canadian National Exhibition Stadium in Toronto, ON
Successful Jump: Yes
Injuries Sustained: None
Just weeks before attempting one of his most daring jumps ever at Snake River Canyon, Knievel warmed up by jumping a row of Mack trucks on ABC's Wide World of Sports. Quite the "warm up," eh?
13. 3 Cars
Date: June 17, 1972
Location: Oklahoma State Fairgrounds in Oklahoma City, OK
Successful Jump: Yes
Injuries Sustained: None
Three cars?! Psssshhhhhhh. Why are we even mentioning this jump? Three cars is nothing! Well, we're including it because it was just as dangerous, if not more dangerous, than all of the others. Just six days after suffering a compressed vertebrae while attempting a jump over 13 Cadillacs at the Lakewood Speedway in Atlanta, GA, Knievel put on a back brace and attempted this jump. It's a good thing he landed it, too. He probably would have been in BIG trouble, if he didn't.
12. 19 Datsuns
Date: July 4, 1970
Location: Seattle International Raceway in Kent, WA
Successful Jump: No
Injuries Sustained: Fractured back
Amazingly, Knievel did make this jump successfully. But, when he landed, he lost his balance on some wet grass (d'oh!) and ended up crashing about 100 feet later.
11. 22 Cars
Date: September 1, 1972
Location: Evergreen Speedway in Monroe, WA
Successful Jump: No
Injuries Sustained: None
It's amazing how many times Knievel set up a row of a certain number of cars and came up one car short of clearing it. This was the most dangerous example. About a year after setting a personal record by jumping over 19 cars, he tried to jump over 22 cars and came oh-so-close to doing so, before crashing into a safety ramp near the 22nd car. Where's the safety in that!?
10. 12 Stegmaier Beer Trucks
Date: July 29, 1971
Location: Pocono Downs in Wilkes-Barre, PA
Successful Jump: Yes
Injuries Sustained: None
Who wouldn't want to watch a guy attempt a jump over a bunch of beer trucks while sipping a cold one?
9. 12 Cars and a Cargo Van
Date: June 19, 1966
Location: Missoula Auto Track in Missoula, MT
Successful Jump: No
Injuries Sustained: Broken arm and broken ribs
The first few jumps of Knievel's career were relatively tame and featured him jumping over several cars or pickup trucks at a time. So, when he decided to ramp things up and throw 12 cars (and a cargo van!) into the mix, people from all over the country sat up and paid attention. His eventual cras gave them something to see and generated a ton of publicity for himself. It also taught him a very valuable lesson: The extra cargo van just isn't worth it!
8. A Speeding Motorcycle
Date: February 10, 1966
Location: Barstow, CA
Successful Jump: No
Injuries Sustained: Sprained groin and cracked ribs
During one of Knievel's most dangerous motorcycle jumps ever, he wasn't even actually on a bike. Rather, he was standing on his own two feet and tried to jump over a bike speeding directly at him (similar to how Kobe Bryant jumped over a car in those Nike commercials a few years ago through the power of special effects). But, he jumped too late and the bike hit him right in the ... well, we're sure you can guess where it hit him. Needless to say, he never tried this "jump" again.
7. 18 Dodge Colts and a Van
Date: February 28, 1971
Location: Ontario Motor Speedway in Ontario, CA
Successful Jump: Yes
Injuries Sustained: None
At the time, this 129-foot jump was the longest of Knievel's career. It was also the subject of a 1971 film named after Knievel that featured him talking about all the things that had led up to that point in his life. So, it was important for him to stick the landing on the jump. Fortunately, he did.
6. 13 Pepsi Delivery Trucks
Date: May 10, 1970
Location: Yakima Speedway in Yakima, WA
Successful Jump: No
Injuries Sustained: Broken collarbone
You can only jump over cars, pickups, and Mack trucks for so long before that gets boring, right? At least, that's what we assume. So, Knievel tried to go bigger here by bringing in gigantic Pepsi delivery trucks. He failed in spectacular fashion, when he crashed into the 13th truck in the lineup.
5. 50 Cars Stacked in 18 Rows
Date: February 18, 1973
Location: Los Angeles Coliseum in Los Angeles, CA
Successful Jump: Yes
Injuries Sustained: None
After completing a series of jumps over vans, Knievel realized that he needed to up the ante, when ABC's Wide World of Sports came calling again. So, to make his next jump more impressive, he assembled a gigantic pile of cars and jumped over it, much to the delight of millions of Americans.
4. 13 London Double-Decker Buses
Date: May 26, 1975
Location: Wembley Stadium in London, England
Successful Jump: No
Injuries Sustained: Broken pelvis, broken hand, and a concussion
This was the jump that almost broke Knievel's spirit. After landing on the 13th bus and crashing face-first into the ground, he insisted on getting up and giving a speech to the 90,000 people in attendance. During that speech, he revealed that they would be the last people in the world to see him attempt a jump. And, he kept his promise until ...
3. 14 Greyhound Buses
Date: October 25, 1975
Location: Kings Island in Mills, OH
Successful Jump: Yes
Injuries Sustained: None
Less than six months after saying that he would never jump again, Knievel set a new world record by completing a 180-foot jump over a row of Greyhounds. The feat was shown on ABC's Wide of World of Sports and achieved the highest ratings ever for a Wide World of Sports broadcast. So much for retirement!
2. Snake River Canyon
Date: September 8, 1974
Location: Snake River Canyon in Twin Falls, ID
Successful Jump: No
Injuries Sustained: Minor cuts and scrapes
Shortly after the U.S. government denied Knievel's request to attempt a jump over the Grand Canyon, he went and found the next best thing to jump over: a different canyon. But, he failed to complete the jump, after the parachute that was connected to his X-2 Skycycle steam-powered rocket deployed early. It mgith have been a blessing in disguise, though. Had it deployed just a few seconds later, Knievel would have landed in the Snake River and likely drowned.
1. The Caesars Palace Fountain
Date: December 31, 1967
Location: Caesars Palace in Las Vegas, NV
Successful Jump: No
Injuries Sustained: Crushed pelvis, broken femur, fractured hip, wrist, and ankles, and a concussion that left him in a coma for almost a month
Evel Knievel put a lot of time, work, and effort into making this jump happen. He talked the CEO of Caesars Palace into allowing him to jump by calling him repeatedly and pretending to be a Sports Illustrated writer interested in covering the event. He also agreed to pay for the jump to be filmed with the hopes of it airing on ABC's Wide World of Sports at a later date. And, he basically made himself uninsurable by attempting such a crazy stunt. But, it paid off. Although the dangerous jump was a colossal fail and almost killed him, it also turned him into a legend overnight and gave him the opportunity to put on shows for a hefty profit for the next decade.
