Who is Philippe Petit and what did he do?
Philippe Petit was born on the 13th August 1949 in Nemours, Seine-et-Marne, France and is a high-wire artist, most famous for his 1,350 feet above the ground high-wire walk between the tops of the Twin Towers of the former World Trade Center in August 1974.
How tall was Philippe Petit in the Ringling Brothers Circus?
Petit briefly headlined with the Ringling Brothers Circus, but preferred staging his own performances. During his stint with the circus and a practice walk, he suffered his only fall, from 45 feet (14 m), breaking several ribs.
Where does Philippe Petit do his wire walking?
Philippe Petit. Since then, Petit has lived in New York, where he has been artist-in-residence at the Cathedral of St. John the Divine, also a location of other aerial performances. He has done wire walking as part of official celebrations in New York, across the United States, and in France and other countries,…
Philippe Petit, best known for being a Performance Artist, was born in France on Saturday, August 13, 1949. High-wire artist who rose to fame by walking across the gap between the Twin Towers of New York City’s World Trade Center in 1974. He was the star of the Ringling Brothers Circus for a time, but preferred to work independently.
Where did Philippe Petit do his first high wire walk?
In the same period, he began to perform high-wire walking at other famous places. Rigging his wire secretly, he performed as a combination of circus act and public display. In 1971, he performed his first such walk between the towers of the cathedral of Notre Dame de Paris, while priests were being ordained inside the building.
When did Philippe Petit perform in the Twin Towers?
Petit’s most famous performance was in August 1974, conducted on a wire between the roofs of the Twin Towers of the World Trade Center in Manhattan, a quarter-mile above the ground. The towers were still under construction and had not yet been fully occupied.
When did Philippe Petit install the cable in Notre Dame?
In June 1971, Petit secretly installed a cable between the two towers of Notre Dame de Paris. On the morning of 26 June 1971, he “juggled balls” and “pranced back and forth” as the crowd below applauded.