Daredevil Robert Craig "Evel" Knievel was born in Butte, Montana on October 17, 1938. He served in the U.S. Army reserves as a paratrooper in the 1950s, played hockey with the Charlotte Clippers, and raced motorcycles. He became co-owner of a motorcycle shop at the age of 27 and decided to jump 12 meters over parked cars, a box of rattlesnakes and a mountain lion tethered at the other end to attract customers. He attempted this stunt before a thousand people and made it as far as the box of rattlesnakes. Despite not being successful, his career as a daredevil began.
Some of his stunts and attempted stunts included jumping over up to 20 parked cars, 52 wrecked cars, 13 Mack trucks, 13 double-decker buses, the fountains at Caesars Palace in Las Vegas, Snake River canyon in Idaho, and an aquarium tank filled with 13 sharks. After undergoing at least 15 operations to relieve severe trauma and repair broken bones, he retired in 1980. He played himself in the 1977 movie Viva Knievel! He died from the terminal lung disease idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis on November 30, 2007.
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