Human cannonball

For other uses, see Human Cannonball (disambiguation).

Stephanie Smith, Human Cannonball at the Royal Melbourne Show, 2005

The human cannonball is a performance in which a person (the "cannonball") is ejected from a specially designed cannon. The impetus is provided not by gunpowder, but by either a spring or jet of compressed air.^[1] In a circus performance, gunpowder may be used to provide visual and auditory effects, but this is unrelated to the launching mechanism.

The human cannonball lands on a horizontal net or inflated bag, the placement of which is determined by classical mechanics. Outdoor performances may also aim at a body of water.

History

The first human cannonball, in 1877 at the Royal Aquarium in London, was a 14 year-old girl called "Zazel", whose real name was Rossa Matilda Richter. She was launched by a spring-style cannon invented by Canadian William Leonard Hunt ("The Great Farini"). She later toured with the P.T. Barnum Circus.

World record

The current world record for the farthest human cannonball flight is by David Smith Jr. on March 10, 2011, at Milan in Italy, previously held by his father. The father David "Cannonball" Smith Sr made the previous record of 200 ft 4 in (61.06 m),^[2] on August 31, 2002, at The Steele County Free Fair, Owatonna, Minnesota in the United States. It is estimated Smith Sr. was travelling at over 70 miles per hour (110 km/h) during the flight.

Risk

More than 30 human cannonballs have been killed. In Kent, United Kingdom, on April 21, 2011, a human cannonball was killed due to failure of the safety net. ^[3]

See also

• Frank "Cannonball" Richards
• William Leonard Hunt
• Ildebrando Zacchini
• Zacchini v. Scripps-Howard Broadcasting Co.

Notes

1. ^ Cecil Adams (1991-06-21). "The Straight Dope: How do "human cannonballs" survive?". Chicago Reader. http://www.straightdope.com/classics/a4_069.html. Retrieved 2007-06-16. 
2. ^ "Human Cannonball Show". http://www.starattractionswest.com/fairs_cannon.html. Retrieved May 9, 2011. 
3. ^ http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-kent-13189254

References

• Shane Peacock, The Great Farini: The High-Wire Life of William Hunt (1995), ISBN 0-14-024360-7.

External links

• The Human Cannonball in Action (video)
• BBC News article on being a human cannonball
• BBC News article on a female human cannonball
• The Straight Dope page about human cannonballs