Philippe Petit: THE MAN WHO WALKED IN THE SKY

Philippe Petit: THE MAN WHO WALKED IN THE SKY

It 1968, a young Frenchman by the name of Philippe Petit read an article about the World Trade Center Towers while sitting at the dentist office.  The pure magnitude of the buildings fascinated him.  Thus was born a daring, not to mention illegal, dream to walk between the two 104-story buildings.  

On the morning of August 7, after six years of planning, Petit was ready to make his dream a reality.  He stepped out onto a steel cable a quarter-mile above the streets of New York City, carrying with him a 26-foot long and 55 pound balancing pole.   For 45 minutes, Petit walked between the twin towers, amazing New Yorkers below and infuriating authorities.  He made eight crossings between the buildings before succumbing to police.  Petit was immediately arrested.  Following the arrest, all formal charges were dropped due to the wide news coverage and public appreciation of his high-wire routine.  Later, Petit went on to perform other high-wire acts at various locations, including the Eiffel Tower, the Sydney Harbour Bridge, and St. John the Divine Cathedral (where he remains the artist in residence).  He currently resides in upstate New York.  Photo courtesy of theworldtradecentermemorial.org.  

ADDITIONAL FACTS:

• Petit was a very rebellious teenager.  He was expelled from five different schools before he ran away from home at age 15. 
• Some considered his high-wire act atop the twin towers “the art crime of the century.”  
• Petit has been arrested more than 500 times, mostly for street juggling.
• Petit was awarded a lifetime pass to the Twin Towers’ Observation Deck by the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey.  He signed a beam close to where his walk took place.   
• In 2008, director James Marsh released the acclaimed documentary “Man on Wire” detailing Petit’s high wire walk across the twin towers.