The man who walked between the towers
Who is that man? Philippe Petit became known to New Yorkers in the early 1970s for his frequent tightrope-walking performances and magic shows in the city parks, especially Washington Square Park. Petit's most famous performance was in August 1974, conducted on a wire between the roofs of the Twin Towers of the World Trade Center in Manhattan, a quarter mile above the ground. The towers were still under construction and had not yet been fully occupied. He performed for 45 minutes, making eight passes along the wire, during which he walked, danced, lay down on the wire, and saluted watchers from a kneeling position. Office workers, construction crews and policemen cheered him on. Philippe walked through one tower to another with nothing more than resolution. He studied the plans for about three years before he started everything. His friends helped him, some worked in the towers and some others carried the equipment to the top. Philippe was born in F...