Human cannonball

The man who fired a gun, accelerated to 100 kilometers per hour in 3 seconds. Overload reaches 12 G. said to fly the kernel from the gun is no more dangerous than a chainsaw to shave. In the last century from 50 "human cannonball" killed more than half - 30.





The record for the flight range of the gun is now owned by American David Smith (David Smith): in 1995, he "shot" at 55 meters, breaking the 53-meter record of Italian acrobat Idelbrando Zakkini of 1940.



On account of David, nicknamed "Bullet" more than 5,000 flights.



David Smith earns his living in the same work as his father ... Smith Sr. created a whole family of people-shells - this craft owned by his son, two daughters and a cousin ...



He also constructed a seven guns, shooting people, five of which belong to his family. Together with them, they are touring around the world, demonstrating their skills.



As it happens can be seen thanks to the photographer and namesake jumper, Bill Smith, who made a detailed storyboard such a leap from your professional "Nikon" ... "My camera makes about eight frames per second, I had a very advantageous position, I made 29 pictures, and Here's what happened ... "- says Billy ...



Thanks identikit can watch the amazing arc that describes the daredevil David across the sky ...



In English from people shooting guns, and all these acrobats, called "Human Cannonball". Some sources claim that the first shot from a gun man took place in 1871: some guy dressed woman and launched from a catapult like device at the London Music Hall.



According to others, the first "shell" was in 1875, George Loyal circus Yankee Robinson ...



But most historians circus is credited with inventing the "man - cannonball" Englishman George Farini, who introduced this exotic trick April 2, 1877. He shot 14-year-old girl named Matilda Ross Richter, known under the pseudonym Zazel. This shot rang out at the Royal Aquarium, Westminster.



Although Farini immediately patented his unreliable and weak "spring" gun and Zazel moved to America, sitting in Circus Barnum (in some places it is written that then Zazel seriously injured her back), flying from the gun muzzles stopped for half a century. While in 1922 the Italian acrobat Idelbrando Zakkini who saw attraction Farini in childhood, decided not to reconstruct the trick. Together with his sons, he built a revolutionary new gun: the driving force of the spring steel is not, and compressed air.



"Human cannonball & quot; climbed into the trunk is in the cylinder. This cylinder air is pushed, but not out, and if I may say so, to the edge of the barrel. The cylinder is stopped, and the man took off. In general, springs replaced pneumatics. In addition, efforts Zakkini were added special effects in the form of noise and smoke, to give the similarity with this artillery.



Number of children with shooting Idelbrando became a sensation, and "Olympia", a family circus Zakkini, a very successful tour of Europe. Not surprisingly, the American impresario John Ringling, seeing the trick in Copenhagen in 1929 moved his whole family to the United States Zakkini.



Settling in Florida, and his offspring Idelbrando constantly improved weapons and equipment performance numbers. In the early 1930s, Mario and Emanuel Zakkini first flew from the gun together, on the same ocheredi.Voobsche "cores" were five of seven sons Idelbrando and all, in different years, tricks involved 38 members of this family.



The last of the first generation "cannonballs intonation," Mario, died in 1999 at the age of 87 years. Reminiscing about his exploits, he said that "flight - not the most difficult part of the trick, the main thing - normally land" in the network, which seems to be from a height "a very small».



At the World's Fair in New York in 1940, Mario was not lucky: the grid is not sustained, and he broke several ribs, injured his shoulder. "After this injury I recovered pretty quickly. I was like a cat with its nine lives. Losing the eighth, I realized that I was living the ninth, and decided to leave, "- Mario perfectly mastered and made a lasso ride with him.



Meanwhile, the rest of the family Zakkini continued the business. They built the X-15 cannon, capable to run two people at a time, and once again reunited with the Ringling Circus in 1966. After a few years as many as five troupes "cannonballs" Zakkini with 14 guns toured the country at the same time. Edmondo Zakkini, one of the nephews Mario, was the last "human projectile" in the family - his final flight was committed August 29, 1991.



And the show continues to this day ... Performers, men and women, can be counted on the fingers, but they are. However, from a pneumatic currently acrobats refused - spring safer ...



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