A true American Hero died over the weekend! Daredevil motorcyclist Evel Knievel passed away on Friday. He was 69. Knievel had been in failing health for years with diabetes and an incurable lung condition.
... Early in his adult life, Knievel participated in pro rodeos, ski-jumping events, and motocross events. He spent some time in the Army and ran a big-game hunting service. After one motocross event he decided to settle down and support his family, so Knievel sold insurance.
... After not receiving a promotion he thought he deserved, he left the insurance business and opened his own motorcycle shop. The store eventually closed but he landed a job at a Honda motorcycle dealership in Sunnyside, Washington. It was there that a well-known motocross racer taught Knievel how to do a "wheelie" and ride while standing on the seat of a bike.
... Not able to adequately support his family, Knievel recalled the Joie Chitwood show he saw as a boy and decided that he could do a similar show using a motorcycle. Promoting the show himself, Knievel rented the venue, wrote the press releases, set up the show, sold the tickets and served as his own master of ceremonies. After enticing the small crowd with a few wheelies, he proceeded to jump a twenty-foot-long box of rattlesnakes and two mountain lions. Despite landing short and having his back wheel hit the box containing the rattlesnakes, Knievel managed to land safely. Knievel realized that to make any real money he would have to hire more performers, stunt coordinators and other personnel so that he could concentrate on the jumps. Having little money, he went looking for a sponsor and found one in Bob Blair, a distributor for Norton Motorcycles. Blair offered to provide the needed motorcycles, but he wanted the name changed from the Bobby Knievel and His Motorcycle Daredevils Thrill Show to Evil Knievel and His Motorcycle Daredevils. Knievel didn't want his image to be that of a Hells Angels rider, so he convinced Blair to allow him to use Evel instead of Evil. And so Evel Knievel was born.
One of the most unbelievable jumps he ever did was at Caesars Palace in Las Vegas. He was hurt badly but made the jump. The video is here:
www.youtube.com/watch?v=kYGGCVE2lKY
... Early in his adult life, Knievel participated in pro rodeos, ski-jumping events, and motocross events. He spent some time in the Army and ran a big-game hunting service. After one motocross event he decided to settle down and support his family, so Knievel sold insurance.
... After not receiving a promotion he thought he deserved, he left the insurance business and opened his own motorcycle shop. The store eventually closed but he landed a job at a Honda motorcycle dealership in Sunnyside, Washington. It was there that a well-known motocross racer taught Knievel how to do a "wheelie" and ride while standing on the seat of a bike.
... Not able to adequately support his family, Knievel recalled the Joie Chitwood show he saw as a boy and decided that he could do a similar show using a motorcycle. Promoting the show himself, Knievel rented the venue, wrote the press releases, set up the show, sold the tickets and served as his own master of ceremonies. After enticing the small crowd with a few wheelies, he proceeded to jump a twenty-foot-long box of rattlesnakes and two mountain lions. Despite landing short and having his back wheel hit the box containing the rattlesnakes, Knievel managed to land safely. Knievel realized that to make any real money he would have to hire more performers, stunt coordinators and other personnel so that he could concentrate on the jumps. Having little money, he went looking for a sponsor and found one in Bob Blair, a distributor for Norton Motorcycles. Blair offered to provide the needed motorcycles, but he wanted the name changed from the Bobby Knievel and His Motorcycle Daredevils Thrill Show to Evil Knievel and His Motorcycle Daredevils. Knievel didn't want his image to be that of a Hells Angels rider, so he convinced Blair to allow him to use Evel instead of Evil. And so Evel Knievel was born.
One of the most unbelievable jumps he ever did was at Caesars Palace in Las Vegas. He was hurt badly but made the jump. The video is here:
www.youtube.com/watch?v=kYGGCVE2lKY
