Knievel Sets Record

On February 18, 1973, motorcycle daredevil Evel Knievel performed in front of a crowd of 35,000, successfully leaping over 50 crushed cars on the field. This jump provided Knievel with his largest audience to date, including television coverage on the ABC “Wide World of Sports” broadcast.

 

Throughout his 25-year career, Knievel made the majority of his jumps on the Harley-Davidson XR-750 motorcycle, wearing a now instantly recognizable jumpsuit designed to celebrate and inspire patriotism. Knievel sported several different variations of the “stars and bars” theme throughout his career, which drew comparisons to another American icon, Elvis Presley.

 

In a rather charming bit of irony, Knievel also filmed a motorcycle safety film shot contemporaneously at the Coliseum entitled “Not So Easy,” narrated by Peter Fonda, who had himself gained iconic status in biker culture as writer and star of the 1969 blockbuster “Easy Rider.”