Two siblings from the famous Flyng Wallendas faamily safely crossed Times Square on Sunday on a tightrope between two skyscrapers 25 floors above ground.
Nik Wallenda is a seventh-generation acrobat, but on this occasion, he acknowledged that he was nervous. His sister, Lijana Wallenda, accompanied him for the first time since an almost fatal accident in 2017, when almost all the bones in her face were broken.
The pair crossed in opposite directions the loose rope 1,300 feet above the ground. Finding themselves halfway, Lijana Wallenda sat down to let her brother pass over her. Afterwards, both continued their journey.
The most recent acrobatics was broadcast live on ABC and seen by thousands of spectators from the ground. Both used safety harnesses at the request of the city, should they fall.
We made history! #HighwireLIVE pic.twitter.com/Sx8xF1jXzZ
— Nik Wallenda (@NikWallenda) June 24, 2019
The Wallenda family has excelled in acts of equilibrium for generations, from its origins in 1780 in the Austro-Hungarian Empire, when their ancestors traveled as a group of acrobats, jugglers, animal trainers and trapeze artists. They never use networks in their live shows or in their rehearsals.
In 1978, Karl Wallenda, 73, died after falling from a tightrope suspended between two buildings in Puerto Rico. In 1962, Karl Wallenda’s nephew and son-in-law died and his son was paralyzed after a pyramid of seven people collapsed during an act. The fall of Lijana Wallenda happened during an attempt to break the Guinness Record of a pyramid of eight people.
Nik Wallenda’s daredevil stunts include Niagara Falls, Chicago skyscrapers, and a section of the Grand Canyon, all broadcast on national television.