In August of 1975, French stuntman Philippe Petit went where no tightrope walker had before: traversing New York City's World Trade Center towers. Despite lasting only 45 minutes, his stunt remains as unbelievable today in now-iconic photographs.
From his high-wire stunts to his final arrest, here are 16 pics of when a guy tightrope walked between the Twin Towers.
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An ad promoting the historic tightrope walk.
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Petit first garnered a reputation in NYC after showing off his skills in various public spaces, including Washington Square Park.
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He first came up with the idea to tight rope walk between the NYC buildings when he was 18 and read about the project while at a dentist’s office.
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Another view of the stunt.
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It took Petit six years to plan the stunt.
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Around 8 a.m. on August 7, 1974, Petit made his way up to the roof of the World Trade Center and started his performance.
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During his 45-minute performance, Petit made his way back and forth between the towers eight times.
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Philippe Petit’s stunt, as seen from above.
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Another angle of the iconic walk.
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Despite being 1,350 feet in the air, he said he was able to hear onlookers cheer as he performed a variety of stunts.
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These included dancing and laying down on the tight rope.
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A close up of the tight-rope walking action.
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Ultimately the authorities arrived and threatened to remove him with a helicopter.
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He heeded the cops' advice, citing both the rainy weather and the fact that he had "trespassed long enough into these forbidden regions."
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Though he was arrested after the incident, the charges were dropped after he met the condition of performing a free stunt show for the city's children in Central Park.
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We hope he at least got to enjoy the view.
