---
title: 7 Astonishing Facts You Might Not Know About Philippe Petit From The Walk
publisher: "IMAX"
description: "This August marks the 41st anniversary since Philippe Petit accomplished his daring achievement of walking across a suspended wire connecting the Twin Towers. "
canonical: "https://www.imax.com/7-astonishing-facts-you-might-not-know-about-philippe-petit-walk"
date: 2023-12-07
last_updated: 2024-08-12
---

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August 19, 2015

7 Astonishing Facts You Might Not Know About Philippe Petit From The Walk
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This August marks the 41st anniversary since Philippe Petit accomplished his daring achievement of walking across a suspended wire connecting the Twin Towers. In honor of his ambitious tight-rope walk on August 7th, 1974, we have 7 lesser known, but equally epic facts about the man that inspired the movie, The Walk.

1.  His passion for magic, juggling and acrobatics began when he was only 6 years old.
    

(Via: Youtube)

1.  Along with walking a thin suspended wire, he’s done handstands on the edge of the North Tower.
    

(Via: Gizmodo)

1.  One of his first death-defying walks was between the Notre Dame Cathedral towers.
    

(Via: The Beat That My Heart Skipped)

1.  Philippe also dared to walk along a wire fitted between two posts in the Sydney Harbour Bridge in 1973.
    

(Via: Buzzfeed)

1.  As if he couldn’t get any cooler, after the documentary Man on Wire won an Academy Award for Best Documentary, he balanced the Oscar award on his chin.
    

(Via: Daily Mail)

And even has some real life advice on how to stay balanced.

(Via: Big Think)

1.  Along with being a performer, artist, magician and public speaker, Philippe recently added author to the list following the publication of his book Why Knot?- a book focused exclusively on tying knots.
    

(Via: Amazon)

1.  There’s no doubt Philippe has managed to accomplish the impossible – becoming an inspiration to many along the way.
    

(Via: Youtube)

To experience this suspenseful movie based on the incredible true story of Philippe Petit, see The Walk in IMAX® 3D.