Hollywood Stuntman to Attempt Evel Knievel’s Failed Jump From Rocket in 1974
— -- In 1974, daredevil Evel Knievel tried to jump over Snake River Canyon in a rocket.
He didn't quite make it, but the jump went down in history, and now, Hollywood stuntman Eddie Braun will try to complete the leap in a rocket that Knievel attempted over 40 years ago.
"Why am I doing it? I met Evel Knievel as a small child and he inspired me so much when I met him," Braun said today on "Good Morning America."
"I mean, this is a man with a cape, come on. I wanted to be like him and after 30 years of being a professional stuntman, what better way to finish out my career than to pay homage to the man that inspired me?"
Braun will be propelled from a rocket 2,000 feet into the air at a speed of 400 miles per hour.
"I don't care if people think I'm crazy or not," Braun said. "I'm not. All I care about is [what] my four children think ... My children will be happy and proud, and what better life lesson than to show your kids through actions that you try and do things that are nearly impossible?"
Braun said that even if he doesn't succeed at first, he will keep trying to jump the canyon until he succeeds.
His first attempt will take place on Sept. 17 at Snake River Canyon in Idaho.
