Who Is Nik Wallenda? 5 Things To Know About The Tightrope Walker Who Crossed Grand Canyon

Daredevil Wallenda smiles during a news conference after completing a high-wire walk across more than a quarter-mile deep remote section of the Grand Canyon near Little Colorado River. Reuters

If you haven't heard the name Nik Wallenda, you probably live under a rock! Nik Wallenda is the tightrope walker who successfully crossed the Little Colorado River near the Grand Canyon without a safety net on a wire. Millions tuned in to watch as Wallenda navigated the tightrope inch by inch with only a pole for balance. And while we have been captivated by Wallenda accomplishing one of the most acrobatic feats, we don't really know who he is. So who exactly is Nik Wallenda?

1. Nik Wallenda is a seventh generation member of a family of circus performers known as "The Flying Wallendas." His nickname is "King of the Wire," he also is the first person to walk across the Niagara Falls via tightrope on June 15, 2012.

2. Nik made his first professional tightrope walking debut, when he was only 13-years old. In 2001, he was a part of the world's first eight-person high-wire pyramid and continued to perform with his family from 2002 to 2005.

3. Nik walked a tightrope a quarter mile over the Little Colorado River Gorge in northeastern Arizona.He performed the stunt for more than 22 minutes on a 2-inch-thick steel cable, 1,500 feet above the river on the Navajo Nation near the Grand Canyon.

4. Nik proposed to his wife Erendira, on a wire 30 feet high during a performance in Montreal, Quebec. They have three children: Yanni, 15, Amadaos, 12, and Evita, 10.

5. During an interview on Skywire Live, Wallenda said for his next feat he would like to walk between the Chrysler Building and the Empire State Building in New York City. His wire walking "wish list" includes traversing the Bosporus continental divide in Turkey and Inca ruins at Macchu Picchu.

Check out video footage of Nik's daring tightrope walk across the Grand Canyon:

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