Human cannonball
The human cannonball act is a performance in which a person who acts as the "cannonball" is ejected from a cylinder that has been specially designed to resemble a cannon. The human cannonball lands on a horizontal net or inflated bag placed at the landing point, as predicted by physics. Outdoor performances may aim at a body of water.
History
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The first "human" cannonball, launched in 1877 at the
In the 1920s,
World record
There is a claim that the current world record for the longest human cannonball flight is 193 ft 8.8 in (59.05 m),[3] established by David "The Bullet" Smith Jr. on the set of Lo Show dei Record, in Milan, Italy, on March 10, 2011. The distance was measured from the mouth of the cannon to the farthest point reached on the net. Smith was launched by an 8 m (26' 3") long cannon. It was estimated that he traveled at a speed of 120 km/h (74.6 mph), reaching a maximum altitude of 23 m (75' 6").
There is, however, a contradictory claim that Smith's father, David "Cannonball" Smith Sr., set a record of 200 ft 4 in (61.06 m),
Recently
Circus performer
Cannon
The impetus in the cannon is provided either by a spring or jet of compressed air. This makes the device work more like a catapult, where the cylinder propelling the human stops at the mouth of the cannon.[5] Some cannons utilize nitrocellulose, specifically the dinitrate ester, cellulose dinitrate (pyroxylin).
In a circus performance, gunpowder may be used to provide visual and auditory effects unrelated to the launching mechanism. Fireworks and smoke may also be used to increase the visual effect.
The largest retailer of these human cannons is located in Greensburg, Pennsylvania. This supplier provides approximately 80% of all human cannon catapults.[citation needed]
Risk
More than 30 human cannonballs have died during the performance of this stunt. Among the latest was that which occurred in Kent, United Kingdom on April 25, 2011, where a human cannonball died as a result of the failure of the safety net.[6] Landing is considered to be the most dangerous aspect of the act.[5]
Special forces
The human cannonball principle is the subject of a patent application by the US
See also
- Frank "Cannonball" Richards
- William Leonard Hunt
- Ildebrando Zacchini
- Zacchini v. Scripps-Howard Broadcasting Co.
- Cannonball ride – a plot device used for example in the tales about Baron Munchausen and in the 1911 film The Adventures of Pinocchio
References
- Huffington Post. 10 April 2013.
- ^ "Trigger man behind human cannonball dies". Sarasota Herald-Tribune. Retrieved August 14, 2012.
- ^ "www.guinnessworldrecords.com". Retrieved July 25, 2012.[permanent dead link]
- ^ "Human Cannonball Show". Archived from the original on March 23, 2012. Retrieved May 9, 2011.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link) - ^ a b Cecil Adams (1991-06-21). "The Straight Dope: How do "human cannonballs" survive?". Chicago Reader. Retrieved 2007-06-16.
- ^ "'Human cannonball' killed in Kent stunt show". BBC News. April 26, 2011.
- ISSN 0262-4079.
- ^ "Controllable launcher". US Patent and Trademark Office. Retrieved 9 July 2020.
Further reading
- ISBN 0-14-024360-7.
- Richard Hooper. Flight of the human cannonballs, BBC News Magazine, BBC World Service, 3 September 2013 (with photos).
External links
- The Human Cannonball in Action (video) Archived 2007-01-22 at the Wayback Machine
- BBC News article on being a human cannonball
- BBC News article on a female human cannonball
- The Straight Dope page about human cannonballs
- Human Cannonball (song by Loudon Wainwright III)
