Walk Across Niagara: By the Numbers

June 12, 2012 — -- quicklist: title: Niagara Falls: Force of Naturetext: Daredevil Nik Wallenda's unprecedented high wire walk across Niagara Falls this Friday is sure to attract a crowd, but even without the lure of a jaw-dropping feat, millions are drawn to the grandeur of the enormous falls each year. Check out some of the numbers that make Niagara so unique and Wallenda's stunt so incredible.

WATCH WALLENDA'S WALK ON THE FULL EPISODE NOW

184 Feet: The top approximate height of Horse Shoe Falls, one of three falls comprising Niagara Falls. These are the falls being crossed by Nik Wallenda.

700,000 Gallons: The amount of water, per second, flowing over all of Niagara Falls during periods of peak flow in the summer and autumn.

12,000 Years: The approximate age of Niagara Falls. The falls were formed at the end of the last glacial period.

Source: Niagara USA, NYFalls.com

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quicklist:title: Nik Wallenda vs. Niagaratext: Nik Wallenda's Niagara Falls walk is a feat of courage that hinges on some critical technical details. Check out some of the all-important numbers factoring into this history-making stunt.

1,500 Feet: The length of Nik Wallenda's walk across the falls.

2 Inches: The diameter of the rope Wallenda will be balancing on.

13,300 Pounds: The weight of the rope.

40 Pounds: The weight of the balancing pole Wallenda will carry.

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quicklist:title: Nik Wallenda: Before Niagaratext: Nik Wallenda will tackle his history-making high wire walk across Niagara Falls with a wealth of experience under his belt.

6: The number of world records held by Nik Wallenda for various stunts, including one for the longest and highest tightrope crossing on a bicycle.

398 Feet: Nik Wallenda's highest high wire walk.

2,640 Feet: Nik Wallenda's longest high wire walk.

250 Miles: The estimated distance Nik Wallenda has walked during his lifetime on a wire that is 5/8 of an inch in diameter.

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quicklist:title: Nik Wallenda: Family Legacytext: Nik Wallenda is a seventh-generation member of the Great Wallendas, the famous family whose stunts and history-making feats date back centuries.

1780s: The decade the Wallenda family first started performing in Germany.

1920s: The decade the famous Karl Wallenda, Nik Wallenda's great-grandfather, brought the family's act to the United States.

5 Months:How many months pregnant Wallenda's mother, Delilah Wallenda, was with Nik when she finally stopped walking the wire for the remainder of her pregnancy. Delilah Wallenda, now 59, still performs wire-walking stunts.

3: The number of children Nik Wallenda has with his wife, Erendira. Aged 9 to 14, they all walk the wire.

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quicklist:title: Niagara Falls: For Tourists, Lovers and Daredevilstext: Who else comes to Niagara Falls besides a wire-walker like Nik Wallenda? Hint: Some wear veils, while others wear barrels.

13 Million: The number of people who visit Niagra Falls each year.

Between 1,500 and 2,000: The approximate number of marriage licenses issued annually in Niagara Falls, N.Y. and Niagara Falls, Ontario in recent years.

1901: The year retired teacher Annie Edson Taylor became the first person to go over the falls in a barrel. She survived.

15: The total number of daredevils who plunged down the falls in barrels and other crafts; five died. Going over the falls is, for the record, illegal in both the U.S. and Canada.

Source: NYFalls.com, Niagara Falls, N.Y. City Clerk's Office, Niagara Falls, Ontario Vital Statistics Licensing Clerk.

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quicklist:title: Niagara Falls: Sites and Attractionstext: You don't have to walk a high wire to have an exciting Niagara Falls experience.

2: Number of portals through which you can see the back side of the falls at Journey Behind the Falls at Table Rock in Ontario's Niagara Parks.

225: Number of steps down the side of the American Falls on the Cave of the Winds tour at Goat Island in the New York State Park at Niagara Falls.

1846: Year the Maid of the Mist started touring the falls.

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