Throughout history many have challenged the power of Niagara Falls and earned themselves notoriety, fame and often death.

Frenchman Jean Francois Gravelot, also known as "The Great Blondin" for his blonde hair, successfully walked a 3 inch, 1,100 foot long hemp rope across the gorge a mile downstream from the falls in 1859. Back then people were very much opposed to exploiting a natural landmark for commercial or entertainment purposes, which is why the 20 minute long stunt was not permitted across the falls themselves. A statue of Blondin remains suspended on a tightrope across Clifton Hill, a popular entertainment area on the Canadian side of the Falls.

In 1890 Samuel Dixon, a photographer and daredevil from Toronto crossed the most turbulent part of the Whirlpool Rapids on a tightrope, dazzling spectators by standing on one foot, hanging by one hand, and lying on his back in the middle of the crossing.

Another popular method for challenging Niagara Falls has always been plunging over the great cataracts in a barrel or some other type of container. Annie Taylor, in 1901, was the first to conquer Niagara in this manner. Expecting fame and fortune to help her through her later years, the schoolteacher crammed herself into a barrel and the air in the barrel was compressed to 30 pounds per square inch. Annie's barrel was pulled from the lower rapids shortly after the plunge, and she emerged unhurt save for minor cuts and bruises. After composing herself, Annie stated that she would rather "face the mouth of a live cannon" than take the harrowing plunge over Niagara Falls again.

Others like Bobby Leach employed steel barrels in 1911 to successfully take the plunge. These attempts are not always successful, however, as the barrels often have been stuck behind the falls or in the rocks and churning waters beneath, drowning or killing their occupants on impact.

Captain Matthew Webb, an Englishman who was the first to swim the English Channel, drowned in 1883 while attempting to swim across the whirlpool rapids downriver from the Falls. He made the attempt with nine other people, 2 of whom also drowned, and the rest quit before the completion of their stunt.

Daring individuals have completed similar plunges occasionally over the years, most recently in 2003 when a Michigan man simply jumped the rail on the Canadian side of the falls and was swept over the 16 storey Horseshoe Falls without aid of a container or any kind of flotation device. Amazingly he survived with only minor injuries, and was pulled from the water by police.

Many daredevils have faced legal action and even incarceration as a result of Niagara Falls stunts, especially when the act requires a costly and dangerous rescue as a result.