Prompt Cast
The Daredevil Life of Evel Knievel
TLDR Evel Knievel, the famous daredevil, made a name for himself by completing dangerous jumps and stunts, but his career was marred by controversy and personal struggles. Despite his fame and success, Knievel's life was filled with injuries, legal troubles, and a decline in popularity before his death in 2007.
Timestamped Summary
00:00
Evel Knievel completes the Caesars Palace jump, landing with his head and smashed pelvis, and becomes even more famous, making $25,000 per performance.
04:38
Evel Knievel sells out the Houston Astrodome twice and breaks a jump record by jumping 19 cars on a Harley XR750.
09:18
Evel Knievel's jump of the Snake River Canyon in a steam-powered rocket designed by Robert Truax didn't go according to plan, but the son of the engineer behind the rocket is attempting to vindicate his father by redoing the jump with a parachute net.
13:53
Evel Knievel's failed jump of the Snake River Canyon was the only test they did for the parachute, which did deploy and saved his life, but there is speculation that he intentionally pulled the chute as a publicity stunt and to avoid making the jump.
18:32
In 1975, Evel Knievel attempted his biggest jump to date in England, crashing and breaking his back, but still walking away from the accident.
23:02
Evel Knievel retired multiple times throughout his career, but always came back to perform more jumps, including one where he planned to jump a tank of sharks but ended up severely injuring a cameraman during rehearsal, leading to his final retirement.
27:53
Evel Knievel holds the record for the most broken bones and fractures, with a total of 35 bones broken and 433 fractures, and he also suffered from multiple concussions and internal bleeding throughout his career.
32:28
After Evel Knievel's Snake River Jump in 1974, his former publisher published a book revealing that Knievel was abusive, hooked on drugs and alcohol, and immoral, which led to Knievel attacking him with a baseball bat and ultimately going to jail for six months, causing his star to fade and opening up a void for other daredevils to fill.
36:48
After his stunts, Evel Knievel faded into retirement and made a movie called Viva Keneval, but his career declined and he ended up being married twice before his death from diabetes.
41:26
Evel Knievel had a lung condition and his body was worn down, but he was buried in Butte in 2007 and was honored at the X Games before his death.
Categories:
Society & Culture
