Interesting Facts About Niagara Fall

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Niagara Falls (/naɪˈæɡrə/) is the collective name for three waterfalls that straddle the international border between Canada and the United States; more specifically, between the province of Ontario and the state of New York. They form the southern end of the Niagara Gorge. From largest to smallest, the three waterfalls are the Horseshoe Falls, the American Falls and the Bridal Veil Falls.

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Interesting Facts About Niagara Fall

1. When European explorers began mapping the Great Lakes basins,

they used accounts from local tribes. The name Niagara came from the

tribe of the “thundering waters”, a neutral tribe who inhabited the

Niagara region. Their actual name is long forgotten, but they were

referred to as “Ongniaahra” by the Iroquois Nation of which they were

a part.

2. The Niagara Falls is the collective name for three waterfalls

that straddle the international border between the Canadian province

of Ontario and the U.S. state of New York. The Niagara River drains

water from Lake Erie into Lake Ontario.

3. The 3 waterfalls (American Falls, Bridal Veil Falls, and the Horseshoe

Falls) combine to produce the highest flow rate of any waterfall on

earth. The average American residence would need 7 1/2 years to use

the same amount of water that flows over the Niagara Falls in one

second (750,000 gallons).

4. It is estimated that roughly 13 million people visit Niagara Falls every

year.

5. The average depth of the water below Niagara Falls is 170 feet,

which is as deep as the Niagara Gorge banks are high.

6. The American Falls is 180 feet from the top of the Falls to the

river. The crest line is 850 feet wide. The Canadian Horseshoe Falls

drops 188 feet and the crest line is 2200 feet.

7. Niagara Falls has been one of the world’s most popular honeymoon

destinations for nearly 200 years. If on the Canadian side of the

Falls, honeymooners should contact the tourism office to receive a

commemorative certificate and a pass for free admission to several

area attractions.

8. The Maid of the Mist boat ride that takes visitors past the base of the

American Falls, and into the basin of the Canadian Horseshoe Falls, is

North America’s oldest tourist attraction. The maiden voyage was in

1846.

9. “The Old Scow” is the name of the wreck seen caught on the shoal

just out of reach of Horseshoe Falls. In 1918 two men were on this scow

dredging up sand banks from the Niagara river upstream of the

waterfall. The scow broke loose from the tugboat that was to bring it

back to shore, coming perilously close to plunging over the Falls. Both

men were rescued 17 hours later via breeches buoyafter the US Coast

Guard sent a lifeline over to the barge.

10. The Falls current rate of erosion is estimated at 3-4 inches every 10

years. Scientists believe the Niagara Falls will be gone in around 50,000

years.

11. The Niagara Falls water power is shared between the U.S. and

Canada. Today, Niagara is the biggest electricity producer in New York

state – generating 2.4 million kilowatts; that is enough power to light

24 million 100-watt bulbs at once, and saves the state’s residents and

businesses hundreds of millions of dollars a year.

12. Goat Island sits in the middle of the Niagara Falls, between

Horseshoe Falls and Bridal Veil Falls.

13. On June 30, 1859, Charles Blondin, dressed in pink tights, was the

first man to walk a “not even an inch thick "tightrope suspended above

Niagara Falls.

14. On October 24, 1901 Annie Taylor was the first person to ride over

Horseshoe Falls in a custom-made, airtight barrel of oak and iron–

padded with a mattress to cushion the impact of hitting the lower river.

After Taylor climbed inside, the barrel’s air pressure was compressed to

30 p.s.i. using a bicycle pump; the hole used was plugged with a cork.

She survived the stunt with only a small gash on her head.

15. Two days before Taylor’s attempt, a domestic cat survived the

Horseshoe Falls in Taylor’s barrel to test its strength.

16. On July 25, 1911, Bobby Leach was the second person to go over

Niagara Falls in a barrel (a steel barrel). He spent six months in the

hospital recovering from his injuries, including two broken knee caps

and a fractured jaw.

17. On July 11th 1920, Englishman Charles G. Stephens was the first

person to lose their life going over the Horseshoe Falls. Stephens had

made a fatal mistake of attaching an anvil to his feet. All that was found

of Mr. Stephens was his arm, identified by a number of tattoos, still

strapped into the harness.

18. There have been a total of fifteen (15) people challenge and survive

the Horseshoe Falls in a craft or barrel, and one (1) who went over with

just the clothes on his back. There are 5 who intentionally challenged

the Falls and died.

19. Every year between 20 and 25 people commit suicide at the Falls ;

over 5,000 bodies have been recovered from the bottom of the Falls

since 1850.

20. An attempt at becoming a Niagara Falls “Daredevil” comes with a

maximum fine of $10,000, plus the cost of rescue.

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