Cold Open

It’s June 3rd, 1973, at the Sydney Harbor Bridge.

It’s a clear day in the busiest city in Australia and commuters are making their way to work. But once these cars hit the bridge, they find they’re going nowhere. The reason for the traffic jam becomes clear to anyone looking up. Between the bridge’s 89-foot high pylons, the impossible seems to be taking place.

Dressed in black from head to toe, French performance artist Philippe Petit clutches tightly to the balancing pole in his hand as he steps onto a thin rope that he hopes will support his weight.

After less than a week of planning, the high-wire trapeze artist is carrying out his plan to amaze Sydney’s residents with an illegal tightrope walk between the Northern pylons of the city’s iconic bridge. It’s a daring venture. Philippe has no safety net. If he slips, he’ll likely die.

The cable reacts to his first footstep with an ugly cry of metal tensing. He pauses for a second as his pole angles to the left, threatening to take him off the line. But he corrects his posture and then continues crossing.

The silver gulls that encircle the bridge look on, puzzled by the human presence so high up. And down below, a bigger audience stirs.

To those in the cars on the Sydney Harbor Bridge, it appears as if a man is floating in the air. Many can’t believe what they’re seeing and stop their vehicles for a better view. On his second journey across, Philippe stops and sits down on the wire to wave at the people below.

But the jovial mood is interrupted by the arrival of a police rescue vehicle. Uniformed men try to get the traffic moving, but they have a fight on their hands. Everyone wants to see if this man on a wire will make it to safety.

From his vantage point on the middle of the cable, Philippe sees officers moving toward the anchor points that keep his wire taut. A fear grips Philippe that these men might do anything to stop his performance, even cutting the ties to his line.

Panicking, Philippe races across the wire to the platform on the Northern pylon and begins climbing down until his feet find solid ground. Philippe breathes a sigh of relief. He’s safe. But he’s also in trouble.

The moment Philippe’s down he’s placed in handcuffs and taken to jail. But the arrest is worth it. His mission has been accomplished.

As dangerous as the Sydney Harbor Bridge walk was for Philippe Petit, it’s simply a precursor to one of the most outrageous feats of daredevilry ever conceived. Already in motion, Philippe’s next plan will be far more perilous, with the potential to make him a global superstar, or to end his life at the age of just 24. Because in a year, Philippe will step onto another high-wire, but this time to walk between the newly constructed twin towers of New York’s World Trade Center on August 7th, 1974.

Introduction

From Noiser and Airship, I’m Lindsay Graham and this is History Daily.

History is made every day. On this podcast—every day—we tell the true stories of the people and events that shaped our world.

Today is August 7th, 1974: Philippe Petit Walks Between The Twin Towers.

Act One: The Plan

It’s August 6th, 1968 in a dentist’s waiting room in Paris.

The 17-year-old performance artist Philippe Petit sits in pain, his tooth throbbing. He looks around the room for anything to take his mind away from his discomfort. He discovers the distraction he needs in a local newspaper where he sees something that will change his life forever: a newspaper article on the construction of a series of buildings in North America called the World Trade Center. The report details how the most impressive parts of the construction will be two towers, rising high into the sky, topping out a quarter of a mile above the ground. 

The images pique Philippe’s interest. Though he’s only 17, Philippe is a talented street performer and wire walker, known for his daring and innovative performances. And now he thinks he’s found his next undertaking.

Philippe continues to read, mining as much information as he can about these impressive buildings. The first – The North Tower – is planned to be 1,368 feet high. Its sister, the South Tower, will be only six feet shorter. Both will have over 110 floors. And such will be the incredible size of these buildings, it’s said they could sway twelve inches on a windy day.

Over 3,000 miles away from where these towers’ construction is underway, Philippe’s imagination goes into overdrive. He tears the article from the newspaper, stuffs it into his pocket, and leaves the dentist’s office without even getting his tooth fixed. While the pain in his mouth still hurts, Philippe doesn’t care because he now has a dream. He’s determined to cross a high wire between the twin towers.

But before he can carry out his vision, Philippe has to wait. Two years tick by before the North Tower reaches its finish height on December 23rd, 1970. It takes another seven months for the South Tower to top out. All this time, Philippe decides against traveling to New York to see the construction for himself. In his mind, he doesn't want to look up with his own eyes at the buildings where he hopes to make his name and not immediately begin scaling them.

But that day comes soon enough. In early 1974, Philippe Petit lands in New York. After six years of dreaming about the twin towers, Philippe finally sees the reality for himself.

But what he once believed was destiny becomes something else before his very eyes. Looking up at the monolithic towers, Philippe starts to believe the whole venture is impossible. The buildings are too high, the gap too far, death almost certainly awaits him. And that’s even if he can get the tons of equipment he’ll need past the countless police and security guards who have the building locked down like a fortress. Philippe even begins to doubt if there will be sufficient anchor points to rig his wire up to. He’s forced to face that his dream is over — it simply can’t be done.

The realization is crushing. Philippe has waited so long for this moment. He knew he had to be patient. And he knew he had to plan. In preparation, he learned everything he could about the buildings, their construction, the wind conditions. And to get in practice, he conducted smaller, but equally breathtaking stunts. First an unauthorized high-wire walk between the towers of the Notre Dame cathedral, then another on the Sydney Harbor Bridge. But looking up at these monstrous towers before him now feels like all that planning was pointless.

Gripped by an urge to simply step forward and at least touch the buildings he came all this way to see, Philippe decides to still go inside. He rides the elevator to the 84th floor before a guard stops him and tells him to leave. Philippe obliges and starts traveling back down, but the urge to reach the top is too strong. He decides to try walking a 110 floors to bypass security. And it works. Nobody stops him and after years of waiting, Philippe finally makes it to the top of the North Tower of the World Trade Center. And then, staring out at the South Tower, Philippe knows his journey isn’t over.

In the months following his trip to New York, Philippe will return to France and resume his plan to captivate a city. The stakes will be higher than ever for Philippe. His dream will require weeks of patience, practice, and help from his friends. And Philippe will become determined to see his vision through, no matter the danger.

Act Two: The Preparation

It’s the spring of 1974.

20-year-old Annie Allix stands in a meadow in France. It's an overcast day, as she watches her boyfriend Philippe Petit dance on a high wire above the long grass. Annie can tell his spirits are high as he prepares for what he has dubbed ‘Le Coup,’ a plan to walk a high wire between two soon-to-be-finished buildings in New York that are set to be the tallest in the world.

Before Philippe found the life-changing newspaper article on the World Trade Center, he had already perfected every act he could on a high wire. Backward somersaults, forward somersaults, unicycling – within a year of practicing, he got every trick down pat. Now, he wants to reinvent what he considers to be an art form with the most daring expression of his talents.

The idea to walk between the twin towers of the World Trade Center is one Philippe has not been able to shake. No matter how difficult or dangerous it may be, it’s his dream, his sole mission, and Annie has no desire to stand in his way.

Ever since Annie met Philippe, the two have been inseparable. She often tells her friends that he’s like a bright light that all things navigate toward, including her. And as intimidating as his single-mindedness may be, in many ways, it’s Philippe’s passion that makes Annie love him. She was there when he first discovered his need to be on the high wire. She stood by him when he walked across Notre Dame’s cathedral and when he risked his life again on the Sydney Harbor Bridge. And she’s still here now to help him in any way she can.

In the middle of this empty field, Annie has helped set up an unusual apparatus for Philippe. In the center of the pasture, hung between two ten-foot-high platforms is a trapeze artist’s wire. It’s here that Annie and other friends help Philippe prepare himself for the stunt of his life. Annie even occasionally joins him on the wire, hanging onto his back for dear life as he tests his balancing skills.

Away from the practicality of Philippe walking the wire, the preparation also requires logistical work. Annie helps with this too as the team carefully constructs fake ID cards and counterfeit paperwork to get into the towers, and she helps them pick out uniforms that will make their stories all the more believable.

Back out in the field, Philippe’s crew works to overcome the problem of how they can get the cable to run across the 131-foot gap between the buildings. Someone suggests attaching one end to a baseball and hitting it across, but this idea is quickly abandoned after they realize none of them are skilled enough to hit the ball. One person experiments with kicking a soccer ball over the distance. But this doesn’t seem like the right option either. Finally, they land on the idea of using a bow and arrow to send the wire sailing over to the opposite tower.

The trial and error methodology brings Annie’s nerves back up to the surface. Fearing the worst, she begs Philippe to let her come with him to New York. But he refuses, worrying that she’ll be too much of a distraction. To reassure his girlfriend, Philippe grabs hold of Annie and tells her that if he does die, it will at least be a beautiful death.

The words do little to ease Annie’s concerns. But stuck between asking him to abandon his dream and helping him prepare for it, Annie opts for the latter. She continues doing everything she can to make sure Philippe returns safe and sound.

Out in the field, she helps simulate the wind Philippe will endure if he makes it to the top of the towers. Along with a handful of their friends, Annie yanks on Philippe’s cable, making it dance and sway, replicating the hazardous conditions she prays he’ll be able to handle. Off balance and close to being tipped over, Philippe’s face is a mask of concentration. Each time he steps on the wire, Annie watches him closely as his expression changes in an instant to the same zen-like state of focus.

Slowly, her worries start to dissipate as Philippe proves his skills on the wire. Even with Annie doing her best to knock him off balance, it’s as if he’s glued to the cable. Watching him, she can’t help but believe that Philippe will actually be able to pull off this crazy stunt after all.

Despite Philippe’s reservations about his girlfriend accompanying him to New York, Annie will eventually get her way. Days before the planned date of the walk, Philippe will call her and tell her to get on a plane to America. And soon, with Annie as his witness, Philippe will be back on top of the towers, looking out again across the cavernous gap. But this time, he’ll be armed with all the tools he needs to make his dream a reality. 

Act Three: The Walk

It’s the early morning of August 7th, 1974, on top of the South Tower of the World Trade Centre.

Philippe Petit prepares to take his first step out onto an inch-thin cable, over a quarter of a mile above the ground.

Last night, Philippe and part of his team managed to evade the towers’ tight security and successfully reach their designated destinations in each of the towers. Now, the time has finally come to execute their plan.

At 4 AM, illuminated by only a single red light warning aircraft not to fly too close, Philippe sees his accomplices appear on the opposite tower. Ready with their makeshift bow and arrow, they launch the cable high across the gap, but it gets lost in the darkness.

Anxiety mounts as both teams fear the rope didn't make it over. After several nervous minutes, they find it teetering on the edge of the South Tower. With the chasm bridged, the two teams set to work attaching the cable to each building. They aren’t able to get the cable nearly as tight as they would like, but it’s not enough slack to deter Philippe.

Just before 7 AM, the morning fog encircling the tower begins to clear, and Philippe steps out onto the wire. Immediately, he knows he made the right decision. Walking on the cable feels right. His mood instantly lifts and with every step he takes, he grows in confidence. Then, Philippe starts to perform.

Hundreds of feet below, Annie’s eyes fill with tears as she spots Philippe’s small figure far above her in the sky. She calls for those around her to look up, drawing a large audience who gaze in wonder as Philippe continues his crossing, stopping every now and again to sit or lay down on the wire. When he kneels and salutes, emotion is too much for Annie who bursts into tears.

With such a large crowd growing, it doesn’t take long for the police to arrive. And sensing danger from a nearby helicopter, Philippe decides to end his performance, but not before crossing between the two buildings 8 times over 45 minutes.

In the days after Philippe Petit's achievement, charges against him for criminal trespassing and disorderly conduct will be dropped in exchange for him putting on a children's show in Central Park. He will go on to become an overnight celebrity, appearing on the biggest talk shows and the front pages of nearly every newspaper in the world. Just as he had hoped, Philippe Petit will become a performing icon, remembered as the man who did what seemed impossible, pulling off the perfect artistic caper when he walked a wire strung between the Twin Towers on August 7th, 1974.

Outro

Next on History Daily. August 8th, 1988. The world is introduced to gangsta rap, when N.W.A. releases their debut album, “Straight Outta Compton.”

From Noiser and Airship, this is History Daily, hosted, edited, and executive produced by me, Lindsay Graham.

Audio editing by Muhammad Shahzaib.

Sound design by Mollie Baack.

Music by Lindsay Graham.

This episode is written and researched by Owen Paul Nicholls.

Executive Producers are Alexandra Currie-Buckner for Airship, and Pascal Hughes for Noiser.