<Tr> <Th> Awards </Th> <Td> Nine - time world record holder </Td> </Tr> <Tr> <Th> Website </Th> <Td> nikwallenda.com </Td> </Tr> <P> Nikolas "Nik" Wallenda (born January 24, 1979) is an American acrobat, aerialist, daredevil, high wire artist, and author . He is known for his high - wire performances without a safety net . He holds nine Guinness World Records for various acrobatic feats, but is best known as the first person to walk a tightrope stretched directly over Niagara Falls . </P> <P> Wallenda is a seventh - generation member of The Flying Wallendas family, and he participated in various circus acts as a child . He made his professional tightrope walking debut at age 13, and he chose high - wire walking as his career in 1998 after joining family members in a seven - person pyramid on the wire . In 2001, he was part of the world's first eight - person high - wire pyramid . He performed with his family at various venues from 2002 to 2005, forming his own troupe in 2005 . He performed with Bello Nock in 2007 and 2008 in a double version of the Wheel of Steel that he helped invent . In 2009, he set new personal bests for highest and longest tightrope walks, completing a total of 15 walks above 100 feet (30 m) in the air that year . </P>

First person to cross niagara falls on a tightrope