Annie Taylor was an American schoolteacher who became famous as the first person to intentionally go over Niagara Falls.Annie Edson Taylor was an American teacher who became the first person to survive an adventurous trip over Niagara Falls while in a barrel on her birthday, October 24, 1901. Her motivations were purely commercial, but she never made a lot of money from her journey.Annie Taylor was born in Auburn, New York, on 24 October 1838. Her father, Merrick Edson, ran a grain mill, and she was one of eight children. He died when she was just 12 years old, but the money he left behind allowed the family to live well. She went on to become a schoolteacher (she received an honors degree in a four-year training course). She met David Taylor throughout her studies. They were married and had a child, but he died when he was young. Her husband passed away not long after. She spent her working years after she was widowed bouncing around from job to job and location to location.If you like reading about Annie Edson Taylor, you should read further to learn about her in detail. The answer to the question of what was Annie Edson Taylor famous for lies below! There is a lot of information available on Annie Taylor, and lots of curious questions have been answered for you. So, get going to read facts about what Annie Edson Taylor studied or what Annie Taylor did.You could also check out our other facts articles on Annie Easley facts and Ambrose Bierce facts here at Kidadl.Fun Facts About Annie Edson TaylorAnna Edson Taylor was depressed, and her poverty drove her to make a risky decision. She read about would-be daredevils attempting to cross the falls and resolved to do the same, to be the first person to cross the falls in a barrel. The Pan American Exposition appeared to be the ideal venue for such an event. She utilized a custom-made barrel with cushions surrounding the walls and a bike pump to fill it with air. A leather harness held her in place, and a 200 lb (90.7 kg) anvil helped her balance the weight.The ordeal lasted around 20 minutes, during which time the barrel was swallowed in the foaming water and later emerged on the Canadian beach. Anna Edson Taylor miraculously managed to escape with only a tiny laceration on her forehead. She is now notorious for this absurd conduct, along with publicity stunts such as cutting her age by 20 years.However, fame did not translate into financial gains. She made a little money signing autographs and posing with her barrel, but her manager, Frank M. Russell, unfortunately, took off with her favorite property, and then the majority of her earnings were spent on hiring private investigators to retrieve it.Following Taylor’s daring stunt, restrictions were enacted prohibiting people from jumping into the enormous cataract. That hasn’t stopped knuckleheads from imitating Taylor’s exploits throughout the years. It was unavoidable that some people would die.Facts About Annie Edson Taylor’s TeachingTaylor eventually settled in Bay City, Michigan, where she intended to teach dance. Taylor started her own dance school because there were none in Bay City at the time. In 1900, she relocated to Sault Ste. Marie to teach music. She traveled from Sault Ste. Marie, to San Antonio, Texas, where she met up with a buddy and traveled to Mexico City to look for work. She returned to Bay City after being unsuccessful.For a short time, Taylor made money speaking about her experience, but she was never able to accumulate much of a fortune. The manager, Frank M. Russell, stole her barrel, and she spent the majority of her resources on hiring private investigators to track it down. It was eventually discovered in Chicago, only to vanish forever a short time later.She spent her final years posing for photos with tourists at her souvenir stand, attempting to make money on the New York Stock Exchange. She briefly discussed taking the second plunge in 1906, attempted to write a novel, tried re-enacting her 1901 plunge on film (this was never heard of later), tried working as a clairvoyant, and provided magnetic therapeutic treatments to local residents. She really tried to be resourceful with what she had.Anna Edson Taylor’s later years were just as exciting as her earlier ones. She dabbled in a variety of part-time occupations, concocting and devising schemes to make a lot of money quickly. She dabbled in the stock market, offered clairvoyant sessions and therapeutical treatments to residents, drew attention by openly stating plans to pull off another similar stunt, and spoke to the media about writing a novel, among other things.Facts About Annie Edson Taylor’s FamilyAnnie Edson Taylor was the eighth child of Merrick Edson (1804–1850) and Lucretia Waring. Her father ran a flour mill and died when she was 12 years old, leaving enough money for the family to live well. She went on to become a schoolteacher (she received an honors degree in a four-year training course). She met David Taylor throughout her studies. They were married and had a child, but he died when he was young. Her husband passed away not long after while serving in the Civil War. She spent her working years after she was widowed, bouncing around from job to job and location to location.Annie met her husband after taking a teaching position, but he tragically died while serving in the Civil War. She then spent years traveling throughout the country and working as a substitute teacher, eventually settling in Michigan with absolutely no money.Annie decided to give it a shot after reading about ‘stunters’ attempting to cross the falls. According to Niagara Falls’ official historian, Sherman Zavitz, she hoped to gain enough fame and wealth to keep her financially comfortable.Annie Edson Taylor QuotesDespite the fact that she was fine and had completed the amazing feat, she clearly did not enjoy the experience as she later told the press, ‘I would warn anyone against attempting the feat if it were my last breath. I’d rather walk up to the mouth of a cannon and risk being blown to bits than take another trip over the falls’. Since, in her own words, she’d rather be blown up by a cannon than do one more barrel trip of the mighty Niagara Falls, it clearly wasn’t much of a fun or enriching experience in Taylor’s life.Did You Know…In many records, Annie was also referred to as Anna Edson Taylor.The retired school teacher climbed into a barrel on her 63rd birthday. The barrel (name unknown) was found floating above Niagara Horseshoe Falls after the hatch was closed.The last people to go over Niagara Falls in a barrel were De Bernardi and Petkovich. They went over the falls in a reinforced barrel on September 28, 1989, performing this stunt to draw attention to an anti-drug campaign at the time.Niagara Horseshoe Falls, otherwise known as Canadian Falls, is the largest of the three Niagara Falls cascades.Annie was in Toronto for a lecture and confronted her manager (Joel Rinzler) at the police station, accusing him of stealing her barrel.Annie Edson Taylor was finally buried in Oakwood Cemetery, Niagara Falls, Niagara County, York City, New York, USA.Annie Taylor was born on October 24, 1838, in New York, and on the same date, October 24, is when she decided that she wanted to do her barrel stunt.Despite speculation at the time, the cat was able to survive the Niagara Falls plunge and appeared with Taylor in images 17 minutes later, after she was discovered with a bleeding head.Ms. Taylor believed she would be able to draw a large crowd to the Pan-American Exposition in Buffalo, New York. A small boat pulled the barrel with Ms. Taylor and her cat into the mainstream of the Niagara River on the afternoon of October 24, 1901, where it was cut loose.The barrel was spotted edging over the edge at around 4:30 p.m., only to return less than a minute later, floating near the base of the falls. The barrel resurfaced 15 minutes later near the Canadian side, where it was pulled up against a rock and the barrel lid removed.Much to everyone’s surprise, Annie Taylor emerged from her barrel, bewildered but triumphant. Her only wound was a cut on her forehead sustained while being retrieved from her barrel.She sold keepsakes of her feet on the streets of Niagara Falls for many years after the occurrence, declaring that she would never undertake another trek over the falls, preferring instead to walk into the mouth of a cannon. Annie Taylor may have found the celebrity she so desperately desired, but she did not obtain the money she needed. Annie died penniless and destitute in 1921.Here at Kidadl, we have carefully created lots of interesting family-friendly facts for everyone to enjoy! If you liked our suggestions for 113 Annie Edson Taylor facts: did she really travel in a barrel then why not take a look at Aeschylus facts or Anne Hutchinson facts.
Annie Taylor was an American schoolteacher who became famous as the first person to intentionally go over Niagara Falls.
