Henry Bellini (1841 - 1888) was an English tightrope walker. In 1873, at the age of 32, he went to Niagara Falls. On August 25th 1873, he made his first tight rope walk across the Niagara River using a 1,500 foot long - 2.5 inch diameter rope weighing 2,500 pounds. He combined a tight rope walk with a leap into the churning river below. He tried crossing using a 48 pound - 22 foot long balance pole. Following his leap into the water, Bellini was picked up by an awaiting boat. He made three such leaps during 1873. In the winter of 1886, he jumped from the Upper Suspension Bridge. He was hauled from the water unconscious with broken ribs but alive. Bellini died in 1888 while jumping from a bridge in London, England.