Evel Knievel might be best known for his motorcycle-jumping prowess, but in 1974, the daredevil upped the ante by attempting to jump over the Snake River Canyon in a steam-powered rocket. (According to the Smithsonian Channel, Knievel’s first choice was the Grand Canyon, so this was his backup plan.)
The canyon’s located in southern Idaho near Twin Falls, and can only be crossed via the Perrine Bridge, once the world’s highest bridge. (It’s still pretty damned high at 486 feet above the Snake River.) Unfortunately for Knievel, the canyon ended up getting the better of him that day. He never attempted the feat again and took the failure to his grave. (Knievel died in 2007 at age 69, an impressively long life for a man who so often tempted death.)
Then on Sept. 16, 2016, humanity again took on the Snake. Forty-two years after Knievel tried and failed, professional stuntman Eddie Braun attempted the Snake River Canyon—in a steam-powered rocket aptly named the “Evel Spirit”—and finally made it happen.
Below, watch a video, shot by CBS’ affiliate in Boise, of Braun’s historic jump.
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