1 00:00:15,450 --> 00:00:32,420 Speaker 1: Pushkin. Bobby Knievel, Evil Knievel, is all alone now, strapped 2 00:00:32,520 --> 00:00:37,090 Speaker 1: into his X2 sky cycle with its star-spangled paint job. 3 00:00:38,090 --> 00:00:41,590 Speaker 1: Thousands of spectators have trekked to see him jump the 4 00:00:41,650 --> 00:00:47,000 Speaker 1: broad gap of Snake River Canyon, In darkened cinemas across 5 00:00:47,060 --> 00:00:51,670 Speaker 1: the globe, hundreds of thousands more fans gaze up at 6 00:00:51,710 --> 00:00:56,890 Speaker 1: the closed-circuit TV feed, waiting for evil to hit the 7 00:00:56,950 --> 00:01:02,370 Speaker 1: button to launch. The X2 sits on a red, white 8 00:01:02,410 --> 00:01:08,430 Speaker 1: and blue take-off ramp. It's steep, 56 degrees, and is 9 00:01:08,510 --> 00:01:12,490 Speaker 1: topped with a Stars and Stripes flag, which whips madly 10 00:01:12,530 --> 00:01:17,410 Speaker 1: in the gusty Idaho wind. The X2 is like no 11 00:01:17,630 --> 00:01:22,090 Speaker 1: other motorcycle Evil's ever ridden, for although it has wheels, 12 00:01:22,710 --> 00:01:28,730 Speaker 1: this cigar-shaped craft isn't a motorbike. It's a steam-powered rocket. 13 00:01:29,650 --> 00:01:32,170 Speaker 1: When it leaves the ramp, it will be travelling at 14 00:01:32,170 --> 00:01:37,430 Speaker 1: 400 miles an hour, and Evil will certainly need all 15 00:01:37,500 --> 00:01:42,280 Speaker 1: that speed. The furthest he's jumped to bike is 140 feet, 16 00:01:42,760 --> 00:01:45,920 Speaker 1: over the fountain at a Las Vegas casino. And that 17 00:01:46,020 --> 00:01:50,870 Speaker 1: put him in a coma for a month. Snake River Canyon? Well, 18 00:01:51,570 --> 00:01:58,890 Speaker 1: it's nearer 4,000 feet. 35-year-old Knievel has been talking, no, bragging, 19 00:01:59,250 --> 00:02:03,270 Speaker 1: about this stunt for years and invested a million of 20 00:02:03,330 --> 00:02:07,360 Speaker 1: his own dollars to make good that boast. But now 21 00:02:07,420 --> 00:02:12,700 Speaker 1: the brashest showman on earth is having second thoughts. I 22 00:02:12,740 --> 00:02:14,360 Speaker 1: wish I didn't have to do this and that I 23 00:02:14,400 --> 00:02:19,170 Speaker 1: wasn't here. He'd admitted to a gaggle of journalists. But 24 00:02:19,210 --> 00:02:23,430 Speaker 1: he is here, sat in X2, and he does have 25 00:02:23,470 --> 00:02:29,120 Speaker 1: to jump or face global humiliation, financial ruin and the 26 00:02:29,340 --> 00:02:35,360 Speaker 1: anger of an increasingly restless crowd below. When it comes 27 00:02:35,440 --> 00:02:40,080 Speaker 1: to leaping buses, trucks and fountains, evil barely breaks sweat. 28 00:02:40,740 --> 00:02:43,260 Speaker 1: He's not a man to worry much or dwell on 29 00:02:43,280 --> 00:02:48,370 Speaker 1: the consequences. He's a man of grand action, not diligent preparation. 30 00:02:49,210 --> 00:02:53,560 Speaker 1: His philosophy has always been to think positive and open 31 00:02:53,590 --> 00:03:01,340 Speaker 1: the throttle. But today, September 8th, 1974, evil's having trouble 32 00:03:01,440 --> 00:03:06,220 Speaker 1: thinking positively. His primary thought is that if he presses 33 00:03:06,310 --> 00:03:10,010 Speaker 1: the X2' s launch button, it will be the last thing 34 00:03:10,030 --> 00:03:24,950 Speaker 1: he ever does. It's 3.36pm. And the countdown begins. Five, four, three, two, one. 35 00:03:27,910 --> 00:03:32,390 Speaker 1: Evil and the sky cycle hurtle into the brilliant blue sky. 36 00:03:33,450 --> 00:03:40,530 Speaker 1: But it's immediately clear something's gone wrong. Very wrong. I'm 37 00:03:40,630 --> 00:04:11,270 Speaker 1: Tim Harford, and you're listening to Cautionary Tales. Joey Chitwood's 38 00:04:11,710 --> 00:04:17,030 Speaker 1: auto daredevil thrill show had come to Butte, Montana, and 39 00:04:17,190 --> 00:04:24,100 Speaker 1: seven-year-old Bobby Knievel was transfixed. As Chitwood's stuntmen rolled cars, 40 00:04:24,320 --> 00:04:28,840 Speaker 1: jumped motorbikes and generally filled the air with noise, excitement 41 00:04:28,960 --> 00:04:33,380 Speaker 1: and engine fumes, a plan formed in Bobby's young mind. 42 00:04:33,400 --> 00:04:37,340 Speaker 1: I went home and took the mudguards off my bicycle, 43 00:04:37,960 --> 00:04:41,190 Speaker 1: he said. and I put cards in the spokes so 44 00:04:41,230 --> 00:04:45,150 Speaker 1: it would sound like a motorcycle. Bobby then took his 45 00:04:45,290 --> 00:04:49,610 Speaker 1: grandpa's garage doors off their hinges to fashion a crude 46 00:04:49,670 --> 00:04:53,850 Speaker 1: ramp and charged neighbourhood kids two cents to watch him 47 00:04:54,090 --> 00:05:01,160 Speaker 1: furiously pedal himself and his bike into the void. When 48 00:05:01,200 --> 00:05:04,800 Speaker 1: the spectators grew bored, Bobby promised he'd leap across a 49 00:05:04,920 --> 00:05:09,890 Speaker 1: raging fire. Unfortunately, the pile of brush he set alight 50 00:05:10,270 --> 00:05:15,420 Speaker 1: soon licked at Grandpa's garage doors, leaving Bobby without a ramp, 51 00:05:15,980 --> 00:05:22,500 Speaker 1: but with lots of explaining to do. Bobby Knievel left 52 00:05:22,620 --> 00:05:27,130 Speaker 1: school without graduating, and a life in Bute's copper mines beckoned. 53 00:05:28,050 --> 00:05:31,050 Speaker 1: But he was saved from the darkness and dangers of 54 00:05:31,090 --> 00:05:34,690 Speaker 1: the subterranean world by landing a driving job at the 55 00:05:34,730 --> 00:05:39,640 Speaker 1: pit head. He found his duties dull, though, and enlivened 56 00:05:39,720 --> 00:05:43,860 Speaker 1: his shifts by scaring passengers with the recklessness of his driving. 57 00:05:45,880 --> 00:05:48,280 Speaker 1: At the wheel of a truck, he asked a colleague 58 00:05:48,320 --> 00:05:51,100 Speaker 1: to dump a heavy boulder in the back so he 59 00:05:51,120 --> 00:05:56,400 Speaker 1: could pull a wheelie. The truck tipped back violently, severing 60 00:05:56,440 --> 00:06:02,670 Speaker 1: an overhead cable and earning Knievel a firing. A stint 61 00:06:02,710 --> 00:06:05,830 Speaker 1: in the army? a foray into petty crime and some 62 00:06:05,910 --> 00:06:11,870 Speaker 1: dead-end jobs all followed. But it was an unlikely-sounding 9-5 63 00:06:12,390 --> 00:06:18,700 Speaker 1: position that finally halted his slide into Palookaville. So what 64 00:06:18,720 --> 00:06:23,820 Speaker 1: was the job Knievel credited with saving his life? Insurance. 65 00:06:25,100 --> 00:06:28,240 Speaker 1: The young man turned out to be an imaginative salesman, 66 00:06:28,960 --> 00:06:32,880 Speaker 1: and soon claimed he'd broken all records at the Combined 67 00:06:32,960 --> 00:06:38,580 Speaker 1: Insurance Company of America. He boasted of selling 110 policies 68 00:06:38,640 --> 00:06:42,680 Speaker 1: in one day by targeting the staff at a mental institution, 69 00:06:43,340 --> 00:06:48,320 Speaker 1: though some vulnerable patients undoubtedly fell prey to Knievel's patter 70 00:06:48,880 --> 00:06:53,860 Speaker 1: and signed up too. Odd as it may sound, this 71 00:06:53,980 --> 00:06:57,800 Speaker 1: job was every bit as vital to the evil Knievel 72 00:06:57,860 --> 00:07:03,880 Speaker 1: story as his youthful exposure to Joey Chitwood's auto daredevils. 73 00:07:04,760 --> 00:07:08,240 Speaker 1: Puffed up by his success, Knievel insisted on going to 74 00:07:08,420 --> 00:07:12,860 Speaker 1: head office to demand an immediate promotion to vice president. 75 00:07:14,190 --> 00:07:18,470 Speaker 1: The firm's founder, W. Clement Stone, duly made time for 76 00:07:18,510 --> 00:07:24,710 Speaker 1: Knievel and duly turned the promotion down flat. The disappointed 77 00:07:24,830 --> 00:07:30,220 Speaker 1: salesman resigned on the spot. but the meeting wasn't nearly 78 00:07:30,260 --> 00:07:35,820 Speaker 1: as acrimonious as you might imagine. Present alongside W. Clement 79 00:07:35,860 --> 00:07:41,200 Speaker 1: Stone was his friend and collaborator, Napoleon Hill. And the 80 00:07:41,280 --> 00:07:46,540 Speaker 1: two older men probably chuckled indulgently at young Knievel's moxie, 81 00:07:47,360 --> 00:07:52,670 Speaker 1: for Stone and Hill were America's greatest proponents of such 82 00:07:52,970 --> 00:07:59,420 Speaker 1: unabashed self-belief. The older man, Napoleon Hill, was arguably the 83 00:07:59,600 --> 00:08:03,630 Speaker 1: father of the modern self-help book. As an example of 84 00:08:03,840 --> 00:08:10,190 Speaker 1: personal success, his pedigree was impeccable. President Woodrow Wilson had 85 00:08:10,290 --> 00:08:13,570 Speaker 1: sought Hill's advice on how to fight World War I, 86 00:08:14,390 --> 00:08:17,410 Speaker 1: and when it was won, had sent Hill to oversee 87 00:08:17,450 --> 00:08:23,560 Speaker 1: the Versailles peace negotiations. The wealthy steel mogul, Andrew Carnegie, 88 00:08:24,000 --> 00:08:27,900 Speaker 1: also took a shine to Hill. After sharing the secrets 89 00:08:27,970 --> 00:08:31,920 Speaker 1: of his own success, he opened his address book to Hill, 90 00:08:32,380 --> 00:08:38,680 Speaker 1: leading to scores of interviews with other millionaires. Henry Ford, J.P. Morgan, 91 00:08:39,100 --> 00:08:44,110 Speaker 1: John D. Rockefeller and Alexander Graham Bell all lent their 92 00:08:44,150 --> 00:08:49,230 Speaker 1: wisdom for Hill's blockbuster book, The Laws of Success in 93 00:08:49,230 --> 00:08:56,120 Speaker 1: 16 Lessons. The main lesson, if you're interested, is... You 94 00:08:56,160 --> 00:09:00,080 Speaker 1: can do it if you believe you can. Perhaps it 95 00:09:00,120 --> 00:09:04,430 Speaker 1: should have been, don't believe everything you read, because Napoleon 96 00:09:04,470 --> 00:09:09,150 Speaker 1: Hill was, of course, a huckster and a fraud. There's 97 00:09:09,190 --> 00:09:13,190 Speaker 1: no evidence, he advised Woodrow Wilson, and his claim that 98 00:09:13,230 --> 00:09:16,820 Speaker 1: the laws of success was written under the tutelage of 99 00:09:17,100 --> 00:09:22,760 Speaker 1: Andrew Carnegie came only after the millionaire had died. Biographers 100 00:09:22,840 --> 00:09:31,110 Speaker 1: of Carnegie can find no proof in the archives. Hill's 101 00:09:31,330 --> 00:09:33,930 Speaker 1: own notes from his interviews with the great and good 102 00:09:34,210 --> 00:09:39,330 Speaker 1: were conveniently lost in a fire. Still, the law of 103 00:09:39,410 --> 00:09:43,780 Speaker 1: success made Hill a rich man, but the wisdom he 104 00:09:43,840 --> 00:09:48,240 Speaker 1: had gathered for its 16 lessons wasn't sufficient to prevent 105 00:09:48,340 --> 00:09:54,350 Speaker 1: the Great Depression ravaging his finances. So the author reverted 106 00:09:54,410 --> 00:09:57,930 Speaker 1: to the grifts and scams that had sustained him before 107 00:09:57,990 --> 00:10:02,490 Speaker 1: his writing career. He continued to claim presidential connections, though. 108 00:10:03,080 --> 00:10:07,680 Speaker 1: He said he'd advised Franklin D. Roosevelt, and coined FDR's 109 00:10:07,780 --> 00:10:12,990 Speaker 1: famous depression idiom. rallying cry. The only thing we have 110 00:10:13,030 --> 00:10:19,570 Speaker 1: to fear is fear itself. Hill rehashed the law of success. 111 00:10:20,190 --> 00:10:25,770 Speaker 1: slashing his thousand-page tome to a more manageable 230 pages, 112 00:10:26,170 --> 00:10:32,100 Speaker 1: describing the Thirteen Steps to Riches. Think and Grow Rich 113 00:10:32,620 --> 00:10:36,780 Speaker 1: flew off the shelves and remains in print today. It 114 00:10:36,880 --> 00:10:43,020 Speaker 1: sold 100 million copies, with Oprah Winfrey and Larry Ellison 115 00:10:43,490 --> 00:10:47,330 Speaker 1: said to be amongst its fans. Some of the Thirteen 116 00:10:47,390 --> 00:10:53,710 Speaker 1: Steps are obvious. laudable enough, acquire skills and knowledge, be persistent, 117 00:10:54,530 --> 00:10:58,120 Speaker 1: be decisive. But the bulk of the book is dedicated 118 00:10:58,160 --> 00:11:04,440 Speaker 1: to things we would today call manifesting. Hill recommended visualising 119 00:11:04,480 --> 00:11:10,630 Speaker 1: your goals, maintaining unwavering faith in yourself, and something he 120 00:11:10,690 --> 00:11:17,330 Speaker 1: called sex transmutation, which involves channelling whatever sexual energy you 121 00:11:17,390 --> 00:11:26,030 Speaker 1: possess into into making money instead. Hill was now genuinely 122 00:11:26,090 --> 00:11:30,210 Speaker 1: welcomed into the company of millionaires, who were perhaps flattered 123 00:11:30,270 --> 00:11:35,870 Speaker 1: by his portrayal of successful people as being fearless and strong-willed. 124 00:11:36,630 --> 00:11:40,040 Speaker 1: And this is how he came to know W. Clement Stone, 125 00:11:40,560 --> 00:11:44,820 Speaker 1: the founder of an insurance empire and Bobby Knievel's boss. 126 00:11:46,420 --> 00:11:51,900 Speaker 1: Stone hailed from an impoverished single-parent home, but amassed enough 127 00:11:51,940 --> 00:11:55,480 Speaker 1: of a fortune to win the ear of US presidents 128 00:11:55,560 --> 00:12:00,190 Speaker 1: for real. He attributed his rise to the same positive 129 00:12:00,290 --> 00:12:05,350 Speaker 1: frame of mind recommended by Hill. The two offered courses 130 00:12:05,430 --> 00:12:10,310 Speaker 1: in what they called the science of success, and co-authored 131 00:12:10,470 --> 00:12:16,430 Speaker 1: a new volume, Success Through a Positive Mental Attitude. Though 132 00:12:16,550 --> 00:12:21,320 Speaker 1: not bookish, Bobby Knievel hungrily devoured the teachings of Stone 133 00:12:21,370 --> 00:12:25,260 Speaker 1: and Hill. Mr Stone taught me a lot about the 134 00:12:25,340 --> 00:12:29,900 Speaker 1: value of a positive mental attitude, said Knievel, reflecting on 135 00:12:29,940 --> 00:12:33,120 Speaker 1: his quitting. He said he was sorry to see me go, 136 00:12:33,560 --> 00:12:40,550 Speaker 1: and wished me the best of luck. Success, however, eluded 137 00:12:40,670 --> 00:12:46,750 Speaker 1: the positive-thinking Knievel. His motorcycle showroom in hardscrabble Butte failed, 138 00:12:47,330 --> 00:12:51,250 Speaker 1: and the prize money he occasionally earned racing bikes wasn't 139 00:12:51,330 --> 00:12:56,370 Speaker 1: nearly enough to support a growing family. Leaving Montana, Knievel 140 00:12:56,420 --> 00:12:59,840 Speaker 1: was hired to run a Honda dealership and was determined 141 00:12:59,900 --> 00:13:03,700 Speaker 1: to make a go of it. But these slight Japanese 142 00:13:03,760 --> 00:13:08,260 Speaker 1: motorcycles were rather looked down on by American customers more 143 00:13:08,380 --> 00:13:13,560 Speaker 1: used to the muscular roar of Harley Davidsons. Knievel had 144 00:13:13,640 --> 00:13:18,760 Speaker 1: to change that perception. So, inspired by boyhood memories of 145 00:13:18,820 --> 00:13:24,130 Speaker 1: the auto daredevils, he decided to take a supposedly puny 146 00:13:24,210 --> 00:13:27,850 Speaker 1: Honda to a local race meet and perform on it 147 00:13:28,730 --> 00:13:35,480 Speaker 1: a 40-foot jump. He'd never attempted such a stunt, but 148 00:13:35,500 --> 00:13:38,490 Speaker 1: didn't bother to practise. He was just going to think 149 00:13:38,650 --> 00:13:42,490 Speaker 1: positive about his ability to clear a distance longer than 150 00:13:42,590 --> 00:13:47,910 Speaker 1: an 80-seater school bus. Napoleon Hill had better be right 151 00:13:47,950 --> 00:13:53,510 Speaker 1: about the power of unwavering self-belief, for if Knievel fell short, 152 00:13:53,940 --> 00:13:57,340 Speaker 1: he'd land not on bare dirt, but on top of 153 00:13:57,500 --> 00:14:05,700 Speaker 1: two mountain lions and a hundred rattlesnakes. Cautionary Tales will 154 00:14:05,720 --> 00:14:23,220 Speaker 1: be back in a moment. The Mountain Lions seemed oblivious 155 00:14:23,280 --> 00:14:26,330 Speaker 1: to events around them, but the crowd at the Moses 156 00:14:26,410 --> 00:14:29,930 Speaker 1: Lake Raceway were whipped into a frenzy ahead of the 157 00:14:29,950 --> 00:14:34,170 Speaker 1: big jump. Astride his Honda, Bobby Knievel raced up and 158 00:14:34,230 --> 00:14:37,990 Speaker 1: down to show off the bike's speed and build tension 159 00:14:38,330 --> 00:14:42,750 Speaker 1: ahead of his death-defying leap. Despite the danger, the rider 160 00:14:42,850 --> 00:14:47,220 Speaker 1: felt elated. He was at last the master of his 161 00:14:47,320 --> 00:14:50,840 Speaker 1: own destiny. His success would be decided by his own 162 00:14:50,980 --> 00:14:55,900 Speaker 1: courage and determination. Making his approach to the ramp Knievel 163 00:14:56,000 --> 00:14:59,500 Speaker 1: tried to wring as much speed from his bike as possible. 164 00:15:00,220 --> 00:15:03,440 Speaker 1: He knew this momentum would be important, and that he 165 00:15:03,480 --> 00:15:06,810 Speaker 1: should hang on to the handlebars as tightly as possible. 166 00:15:07,710 --> 00:15:12,370 Speaker 1: Aside from that, he wasn't sure what to expect. The 167 00:15:12,530 --> 00:15:15,550 Speaker 1: owner of the Mountain Lions was pretty sure the novice 168 00:15:15,610 --> 00:15:19,370 Speaker 1: jumper would crash, so placed his cats close to the 169 00:15:19,430 --> 00:15:23,630 Speaker 1: take-off ramp, hoping Knievel would at least clear them safely. 170 00:15:24,220 --> 00:15:30,300 Speaker 1: No-one showed much concern for the rattlesnakes. As the Honda 171 00:15:30,660 --> 00:15:34,460 Speaker 1: left the ramp, Knievel intuitively felt he should keep the 172 00:15:34,600 --> 00:15:37,880 Speaker 1: front of the bike high, figuring a wheelie landing would 173 00:15:37,910 --> 00:15:41,810 Speaker 1: be the safest option. He was literally making it up 174 00:15:41,870 --> 00:15:46,590 Speaker 1: as he went along. Clearing the mountain lions, it dawned 175 00:15:46,650 --> 00:15:49,390 Speaker 1: on the rider that he lacked the speed to complete 176 00:15:49,510 --> 00:15:57,220 Speaker 1: the full 40 feet. The Honda landed heavily on the 177 00:15:57,360 --> 00:16:01,760 Speaker 1: crate holding in the rattlesnakes. But Knievel remained upright and 178 00:16:01,800 --> 00:16:07,520 Speaker 1: rode on. Kid succeeded, or at least survived. Triumphant, he 179 00:16:07,590 --> 00:16:12,790 Speaker 1: rode victory laps before the astonished spectators, even as dozens 180 00:16:12,850 --> 00:16:17,510 Speaker 1: of angry rattlers slithered into the crowd. It was funnier 181 00:16:17,550 --> 00:16:21,210 Speaker 1: than hell, said Knievel. People were running every which way. 182 00:16:27,620 --> 00:16:32,140 Speaker 1: The expected flood of orders for new Hondas never materialised. 183 00:16:32,540 --> 00:16:38,870 Speaker 1: But no matter. Knievel had caught the jumping bug. Again 184 00:16:38,970 --> 00:16:44,550 Speaker 1: inspired by Joey Chitwood, Knievel convinced riders like Swede Savage, 185 00:16:45,090 --> 00:16:49,000 Speaker 1: Skip Van Leeuwen and Butch Wilhelm to join him in 186 00:16:49,040 --> 00:16:54,020 Speaker 1: a stunt troupe, the Motorcycle Daredevils. Knievel would be the 187 00:16:54,100 --> 00:16:58,680 Speaker 1: star of this circus and get top billing... But Bobby 188 00:16:59,080 --> 00:17:03,420 Speaker 1: just didn't cut it as a stage name. Thus, Evil 189 00:17:03,500 --> 00:17:07,840 Speaker 1: Knievel was born. The wayward Bobby had often been called 190 00:17:08,240 --> 00:17:13,230 Speaker 1: Evil with an I, but as leader of the motorcycle daredevils, 191 00:17:13,930 --> 00:17:21,910 Speaker 1: he plumped for E-V-E-L. It was alliterative, catchy and more family-friendly. 192 00:17:23,210 --> 00:17:27,300 Speaker 1: Throughout the mid-60s, The Daredevils put on their show at 193 00:17:27,410 --> 00:17:32,250 Speaker 1: speedway tracks and carnival grounds, splitting the meagre appearance fees 194 00:17:32,530 --> 00:17:38,890 Speaker 1: six ways. That is, until Evil tried to jump 13 cars, failed, 195 00:17:39,910 --> 00:17:44,630 Speaker 1: and couldn't ride for months. No-one wanted to see Evil 196 00:17:44,710 --> 00:17:50,540 Speaker 1: Knievel and his motorcycle Daredevils without Evil. So Skip, Swede, 197 00:17:50,780 --> 00:17:57,040 Speaker 1: Butch and the boys called it a day. Once recovered, 198 00:17:57,720 --> 00:18:03,390 Speaker 1: Evil went solo, jumping 14 cars on his debut appearance, 199 00:18:04,080 --> 00:18:08,670 Speaker 1: albeit to a modest crowd. But that was about to change. 200 00:18:09,390 --> 00:18:12,950 Speaker 1: Evil's performance during a break in racing at an LA 201 00:18:13,050 --> 00:18:17,610 Speaker 1: bike track went out on ABC's Wide World of Sports. 202 00:18:18,350 --> 00:18:22,130 Speaker 1: He cleared 15 cars that time, setting a personal best 203 00:18:22,610 --> 00:18:27,910 Speaker 1: and grabbing America's attention. Though Evil was fast becoming a 204 00:18:28,010 --> 00:18:33,450 Speaker 1: nationwide star, his preparations for each jump remained as amateurish 205 00:18:33,490 --> 00:18:38,210 Speaker 1: and ramshackle as ever. He never bothered calculating ramp angles 206 00:18:38,290 --> 00:18:42,380 Speaker 1: or take-off speeds. Who needed maths and physics when you 207 00:18:42,420 --> 00:18:47,240 Speaker 1: had a positive mental attitude? The most Evil would do 208 00:18:47,400 --> 00:18:50,520 Speaker 1: is have his team roughly pace out the distance he 209 00:18:50,580 --> 00:18:53,480 Speaker 1: intended to jump and then draw a target line in 210 00:18:53,520 --> 00:18:57,350 Speaker 1: the sand with a boot heel. I did everything by 211 00:18:57,390 --> 00:19:00,710 Speaker 1: the seat of my pants, said the daredevil. In fact, 212 00:19:00,890 --> 00:19:04,290 Speaker 1: the only thing Evil consistently measured out before a jump 213 00:19:05,390 --> 00:19:09,630 Speaker 1: was a shot or two of bourbon. The list of 214 00:19:09,950 --> 00:19:13,530 Speaker 1: Evil's injuries was now as long as a line of cars. 215 00:19:14,070 --> 00:19:19,420 Speaker 1: Roughly one in three jumps ended in a hospital visit. Concussions, 216 00:19:19,840 --> 00:19:26,540 Speaker 1: broken ribs, fractured legs, busted arms, cracked vertebrae. It's often 217 00:19:26,620 --> 00:19:31,120 Speaker 1: said that Evil broke every one of the 206 bones 218 00:19:31,180 --> 00:19:35,300 Speaker 1: in his body. That's an exaggeration. He broke a mere 219 00:19:35,300 --> 00:19:40,840 Speaker 1: 35 of them. Evil often went against Doctor's orders to perform, 220 00:19:41,500 --> 00:19:44,560 Speaker 1: even risking paralysis so as not to miss a paycheck 221 00:19:44,980 --> 00:19:49,200 Speaker 1: or disappoint his growing legion of fans. And those fans 222 00:19:49,320 --> 00:19:54,450 Speaker 1: kept demanding ever more novel spectacles from their hero. How 223 00:19:54,490 --> 00:19:59,810 Speaker 1: many more times could they watch him jump cars? Visiting 224 00:20:00,050 --> 00:20:04,250 Speaker 1: Las Vegas, Knievel's eye was caught by a giant fountain 225 00:20:04,490 --> 00:20:09,540 Speaker 1: outside Caesar's Palace Casino. It seemed perfect for his needs. 226 00:20:10,060 --> 00:20:15,460 Speaker 1: So Evil phoned the owner, impersonating a magazine journalist. Do 227 00:20:15,480 --> 00:20:18,870 Speaker 1: you know this guy, Evil Knievel? He's going to jump 228 00:20:18,930 --> 00:20:23,190 Speaker 1: over your hotel. That nut, he's jumping nothing round here, 229 00:20:23,670 --> 00:20:27,930 Speaker 1: snapped back the proprietor. In Evil's telling of the story, 230 00:20:28,230 --> 00:20:32,050 Speaker 1: he repeatedly called, pretending to be from different newspapers and 231 00:20:32,170 --> 00:20:35,970 Speaker 1: TV networks, until he'd convinced the casino that this was 232 00:20:36,010 --> 00:20:40,460 Speaker 1: a publicity coup that shouldn't be passed up. The event 233 00:20:40,580 --> 00:20:45,130 Speaker 1: had many advantages for Evil. Vegas was brimming with visitors, 234 00:20:45,410 --> 00:20:47,810 Speaker 1: so he was bound to drum up a large crowd. 235 00:20:48,390 --> 00:20:52,210 Speaker 1: And what's more, these visitors would be higher rollers than 236 00:20:52,270 --> 00:20:58,070 Speaker 1: his usual clientele of carnival-goers and bike fans. Caesar's Palace 237 00:20:58,450 --> 00:21:02,450 Speaker 1: had a big drawback, though. Its forecourt was only just 238 00:21:02,550 --> 00:21:06,440 Speaker 1: big enough to fit evil's take-off and landing ramps. He'd 239 00:21:06,460 --> 00:21:09,980 Speaker 1: have no long run-up to build speed, so if he 240 00:21:10,040 --> 00:21:13,640 Speaker 1: messed up his approach... he'd never reach safety on the 241 00:21:13,680 --> 00:21:18,060 Speaker 1: other side. But this jump was career make or break 242 00:21:18,120 --> 00:21:23,100 Speaker 1: for Evil. So he just thought positive and rolled the 243 00:21:23,120 --> 00:21:30,960 Speaker 1: dice once more. Evil spectacularly burst through the white plumes 244 00:21:31,000 --> 00:21:35,990 Speaker 1: of the fountain, but falling just short of his target distance, 245 00:21:36,710 --> 00:21:42,360 Speaker 1: he smacked into the landing. Coming off the bike, Evil 246 00:21:42,500 --> 00:21:48,020 Speaker 1: bounced and cartwheeled across the asphalt, breaking his jaw, losing teeth, 247 00:21:48,440 --> 00:21:52,390 Speaker 1: shattering his pelvis, cracking his ribs and busting his nose, 248 00:21:53,050 --> 00:22:01,080 Speaker 1: until finally he slammed into a brick wall. When medics 249 00:22:01,280 --> 00:22:05,640 Speaker 1: reached him, Evil was unconscious, and he wouldn't wake up 250 00:22:05,880 --> 00:22:14,170 Speaker 1: for a month. The more positively people think about the future, 251 00:22:14,970 --> 00:22:18,730 Speaker 1: the less well they do in reaching that positive future. 252 00:22:19,830 --> 00:22:24,070 Speaker 1: That's the conclusion of Gabriella Oettingen, a professor of psychology 253 00:22:24,130 --> 00:22:29,460 Speaker 1: at NYU. Gabriella is the author of the book Rethinking 254 00:22:29,680 --> 00:22:34,560 Speaker 1: Positive Thinking, based on her research into how the unwavering 255 00:22:34,780 --> 00:22:39,300 Speaker 1: optimism of people like Napoleon Hill and Evel Knievel can 256 00:22:39,500 --> 00:22:43,310 Speaker 1: end in disappointment. We need to listen to our positive 257 00:22:43,350 --> 00:22:47,070 Speaker 1: fantasies so we know where to go, says Gabriella. The 258 00:22:47,090 --> 00:22:51,520 Speaker 1: only problem is these positive fantasies are actually an impediment 259 00:22:51,740 --> 00:22:56,720 Speaker 1: to our success. Gabriella points to studies showing that students 260 00:22:56,800 --> 00:23:01,420 Speaker 1: who sunnily imagine themselves getting good grades tend to flunk 261 00:23:01,480 --> 00:23:06,000 Speaker 1: their classes, and that patients who fantasise about a swift 262 00:23:06,080 --> 00:23:12,530 Speaker 1: recovery from hip surgery spend longer incapacitated. In their book, 263 00:23:12,890 --> 00:23:17,390 Speaker 1: Success Through a Positive Mental Attitude, Hill and Stone talk 264 00:23:17,430 --> 00:23:21,870 Speaker 1: of positivity as being a talisman or lucky charm. Think 265 00:23:21,970 --> 00:23:26,150 Speaker 1: positive and good things will be attracted to you, as 266 00:23:26,210 --> 00:23:29,990 Speaker 1: if by magic. But let negative thoughts enter your head 267 00:23:30,370 --> 00:23:35,930 Speaker 1: and you'll suffer setbacks and financial loss. Never underestimate the 268 00:23:36,030 --> 00:23:41,190 Speaker 1: repellent power of a negative mental attitude, they sagely advise. 269 00:23:41,870 --> 00:23:47,370 Speaker 1: it can prevent life's lucky breaks benefiting you. But Gabriella 270 00:23:47,530 --> 00:23:52,120 Speaker 1: Oettingen's work points to the opposite conclusion. She's found that 271 00:23:52,160 --> 00:23:55,700 Speaker 1: we should think honestly about every hurdle in the way 272 00:23:55,740 --> 00:23:59,980 Speaker 1: of us achieving our desired goals. This has two benefits. 273 00:24:00,800 --> 00:24:04,840 Speaker 1: It stops us wasting time on frankly hopeless dreams, but 274 00:24:04,960 --> 00:24:08,480 Speaker 1: it also concentrates our thoughts on how to overcome the 275 00:24:08,520 --> 00:24:15,430 Speaker 1: barriers that to achieve our more realistic ambitions. It's counterintuitive, 276 00:24:15,780 --> 00:24:20,670 Speaker 1: admits Gabriela, but imagining the obstacles in our way is 277 00:24:20,930 --> 00:24:26,190 Speaker 1: actually the trigger for overcoming them. This reminds me of 278 00:24:26,250 --> 00:24:30,250 Speaker 1: the work of the economist Johannes Spindewijn. He looked at 279 00:24:30,290 --> 00:24:34,390 Speaker 1: the beliefs and behaviour of job seekers and distinguished between 280 00:24:34,570 --> 00:24:39,230 Speaker 1: the regular optimists and what he called the control optimists. 281 00:24:40,470 --> 00:24:44,620 Speaker 1: The regular optimists were positive thinkers. They thought they'd quickly 282 00:24:44,680 --> 00:24:49,820 Speaker 1: find a job. They were usually wrong. The control optimists 283 00:24:50,080 --> 00:24:53,740 Speaker 1: thought they'd find a job only if they hustled hard 284 00:24:53,780 --> 00:24:59,950 Speaker 1: for it. They were usually right. Belief isn't enough, found Spinovine. 285 00:25:00,930 --> 00:25:06,210 Speaker 1: You need to take practical action. As a disciple of 286 00:25:06,310 --> 00:25:11,050 Speaker 1: Napoleon Hill and W. Clement Stone... it seems Evel Knievel 287 00:25:11,170 --> 00:25:14,810 Speaker 1: felt he'd be attracting disaster if he thought about all 288 00:25:14,850 --> 00:25:18,220 Speaker 1: the things that could go wrong when jumping a motorbike 289 00:25:18,300 --> 00:25:23,660 Speaker 1: over fires, fountains and live rattlesnakes. But it seems reasonable 290 00:25:23,700 --> 00:25:27,800 Speaker 1: to argue that had he been even a tad more pessimistic, 291 00:25:28,160 --> 00:25:33,090 Speaker 1: he'd have planned his jumps more meticulously, placed his ramps 292 00:25:33,270 --> 00:25:37,310 Speaker 1: more carefully and, and thus saved his doctors the task 293 00:25:37,370 --> 00:25:42,310 Speaker 1: of using pins and plates to reconstruct his shattered bones. 294 00:25:44,330 --> 00:25:48,730 Speaker 1: Evil recovered slowly from his Caesar's Palace crash, but the 295 00:25:48,880 --> 00:25:52,600 Speaker 1: accident had made him a superstar, partly thanks to his 296 00:25:52,780 --> 00:25:59,100 Speaker 1: tumble across the tarmac being captured in bone-crunching slow-motion footage 297 00:25:59,380 --> 00:26:04,530 Speaker 1: that audiences couldn't get enough of. He returned to his 298 00:26:04,610 --> 00:26:08,960 Speaker 1: routine of jumping cars, trucks and buses, all done with 299 00:26:09,010 --> 00:26:15,100 Speaker 1: his trademark lackadaisical preparation. But Evil dreamed of something bigger 300 00:26:15,640 --> 00:26:20,740 Speaker 1: and better, a moonshot stunt, something so stupendous that it 301 00:26:20,780 --> 00:26:25,450 Speaker 1: would surely require him to knuckle down and plan for thoroughly. 302 00:26:26,730 --> 00:26:35,500 Speaker 1: You see, Evil Knievel wanted to jump a canyon. Cautionary 303 00:26:35,540 --> 00:26:47,860 Speaker 1: Tales will be right back. Evil Knievel was in a bar, 304 00:26:48,220 --> 00:26:54,060 Speaker 1: liberally downing Montana Marys, a beer and tomato juice concoction 305 00:26:54,480 --> 00:26:59,330 Speaker 1: favoured by Buttes miners. You should try jumping that, said 306 00:26:59,390 --> 00:27:03,030 Speaker 1: a fellow drinker, pointing to a calendar behind the bar. 307 00:27:04,040 --> 00:27:08,200 Speaker 1: On it was a picture of the Grand Canyon. Maybe 308 00:27:08,360 --> 00:27:13,230 Speaker 1: it was the Montana Marys, or evil's positive mental attitude, 309 00:27:13,910 --> 00:27:18,230 Speaker 1: but far from dismissing the idea as crazy, the rider 310 00:27:18,270 --> 00:27:24,940 Speaker 1: became obsessed with the possibility. He told journalists of his 311 00:27:24,990 --> 00:27:29,320 Speaker 1: desire to leap the Grand Canyon, and unusually, he'd made 312 00:27:29,380 --> 00:27:32,280 Speaker 1: some rough calculations of what it would take to clear 313 00:27:32,340 --> 00:27:38,260 Speaker 1: the two-mile void Unsurprisingly, his figures were off. Way off. 314 00:27:38,920 --> 00:27:42,970 Speaker 1: Having read of evil's projections for speed and ramp angle, 315 00:27:43,670 --> 00:27:49,030 Speaker 1: the reader of one British newspaper felt compelled to write in. 316 00:27:49,430 --> 00:27:52,930 Speaker 1: A 150 mile an hour take-off speed was not sufficient, 317 00:27:53,330 --> 00:27:58,990 Speaker 1: wrote Brian F Firth of Wrighton-on-Dunsmore, Warwickshire. He then added 318 00:27:59,050 --> 00:28:02,940 Speaker 1: his own calculations. In order to leap a gap of 319 00:28:02,940 --> 00:28:07,420 Speaker 1: 1.8 miles, Mr Knievel would require a take-off speed in 320 00:28:07,560 --> 00:28:13,950 Speaker 1: excess of 378 miles per hour. Motorbikes don't go that fast. 321 00:28:14,810 --> 00:28:18,570 Speaker 1: But that was a moot point. The federal authorities denied 322 00:28:18,810 --> 00:28:22,690 Speaker 1: Evel permission to use the national park for his crazy jump. 323 00:28:24,290 --> 00:28:31,060 Speaker 1: Scouting alternatives. Evil recalled the Snake River Canyon from childhood vacations. 324 00:28:31,940 --> 00:28:36,100 Speaker 1: Though less iconic, it was closer to home, half the 325 00:28:36,140 --> 00:28:39,440 Speaker 1: breadth of the Grand Canyon, and better still, he could 326 00:28:39,500 --> 00:28:42,320 Speaker 1: lease the land on which the stunt would take place. 327 00:28:43,260 --> 00:28:48,480 Speaker 1: With total control over the location, Evil could wring every 328 00:28:48,680 --> 00:28:52,870 Speaker 1: cent from the spectators he expected to flock to the canyon... 329 00:28:53,320 --> 00:28:56,210 Speaker 1: and the media companies who'd fight for the rights to 330 00:28:56,320 --> 00:29:02,090 Speaker 1: cover the spectacle. Evil's lease ran from October 1971 through 331 00:29:02,150 --> 00:29:07,750 Speaker 1: September 1974, plenty of time to complete the jump, if 332 00:29:07,810 --> 00:29:12,900 Speaker 1: he maintained a positive mental attitude. The schedule, of course, 333 00:29:13,440 --> 00:29:18,140 Speaker 1: began to slip. The main problem was that the speeds 334 00:29:18,220 --> 00:29:22,480 Speaker 1: required to clear Snake River Canyon were were still beyond 335 00:29:22,560 --> 00:29:27,070 Speaker 1: what could be achieved on a regular motorcycle. Evil considered 336 00:29:27,270 --> 00:29:30,690 Speaker 1: boosting a bike's power with a jet strapped to the side, 337 00:29:31,270 --> 00:29:36,390 Speaker 1: but this was a schoolboyish fantasy. Then an offer arrived 338 00:29:36,430 --> 00:29:42,760 Speaker 1: from an aerospace engineer. Would Evil like a rocket capable 339 00:29:42,820 --> 00:29:49,100 Speaker 1: of clearing the canyon? The X-1 Skycycle was steam-powered a 340 00:29:49,180 --> 00:29:53,110 Speaker 1: simpler and safer option than rocket fuel, and looked like 341 00:29:53,170 --> 00:29:58,950 Speaker 1: a wingless jet fighter. Evil and the engineer soon clashed 342 00:29:59,030 --> 00:30:03,970 Speaker 1: over the design and budget until the engineer quit. With 343 00:30:03,990 --> 00:30:08,840 Speaker 1: the clock ticking on Evil's lease, the NASA astronaut Jim 344 00:30:08,900 --> 00:30:17,110 Speaker 1: Lovell commander of Apollo 13, suggested a replacement. Robert Truax 345 00:30:17,650 --> 00:30:22,810 Speaker 1: had helped design America's intercontinental nuclear missiles. He should be 346 00:30:22,850 --> 00:30:27,310 Speaker 1: able to shoot evil across a canyon. Truax refined the 347 00:30:27,350 --> 00:30:34,530 Speaker 1: sky cycle and christened it the X-2. Evil busied himself 348 00:30:34,710 --> 00:30:38,680 Speaker 1: dreaming up a grandiose festival for the jump site. The 349 00:30:38,740 --> 00:30:41,780 Speaker 1: rider thought he could attract a quarter of a million 350 00:30:41,900 --> 00:30:46,080 Speaker 1: people to this remote part of Idaho, where they'd all sleep, 351 00:30:46,920 --> 00:30:51,910 Speaker 1: eat or go to the toilet, wasn't addressed. Evil expected 352 00:30:52,090 --> 00:30:57,450 Speaker 1: John Wayne, Steve McQueen and Elvis to attend, and even 353 00:30:57,510 --> 00:31:03,220 Speaker 1: extended invitations to B-listers like the Pope. All the time, 354 00:31:03,500 --> 00:31:09,840 Speaker 1: work continued on the X2, and delays mounted. Truax found 355 00:31:10,040 --> 00:31:13,640 Speaker 1: evil no easier to work with than his predecessor. When 356 00:31:13,680 --> 00:31:18,080 Speaker 1: his boss refused to increase the X2' s budget, Truax turned 357 00:31:18,120 --> 00:31:21,960 Speaker 1: to recycling bits of scrap. Legend has it that one 358 00:31:22,000 --> 00:31:28,060 Speaker 1: valve was fashioned from a dog food can. Given the 359 00:31:28,120 --> 00:31:31,410 Speaker 1: lashed-up nature of the Sky Cycles, it's little wonder that 360 00:31:31,590 --> 00:31:36,650 Speaker 1: test firings of the prototypes went badly. an unmanned flight 361 00:31:36,690 --> 00:31:40,170 Speaker 1: of an X-1 spun crazily into the air and then 362 00:31:40,310 --> 00:31:49,090 Speaker 1: plunged nose-first into the greeny depths of Snake River. Truax 363 00:31:49,410 --> 00:31:54,290 Speaker 1: next sent off his X-2 prototype. It too malfunctioned and 364 00:31:54,330 --> 00:31:58,620 Speaker 1: joined the X-1 on the riverbed. Evil had just weeks 365 00:31:58,710 --> 00:32:02,280 Speaker 1: left on his lease and no more spare sky cycles 366 00:32:02,500 --> 00:32:06,330 Speaker 1: with which to experiment. The next blast-off would have to 367 00:32:06,370 --> 00:32:16,510 Speaker 1: be in earnest, with Evil in the pilot's seat. Just 368 00:32:16,510 --> 00:32:20,540 Speaker 1: 15,000 people had come to see the warm-up acts and 369 00:32:20,660 --> 00:32:25,340 Speaker 1: bike races ahead of Evil's jump on September 8, 1974. 370 00:32:25,340 --> 00:32:30,960 Speaker 1: Elvis and the Pope were no-shows. This was all a 371 00:32:31,120 --> 00:32:35,520 Speaker 1: big disappointment for Evil, But even this modest crowd was 372 00:32:35,640 --> 00:32:41,130 Speaker 1: proving to be a handful. Witnesses reported a lawless, bacchanalian 373 00:32:41,170 --> 00:32:45,390 Speaker 1: mood along the canyon rim. Biker gangs roamed the site, 374 00:32:45,810 --> 00:32:50,150 Speaker 1: raiding fast food stands and beer stalls, burning down these 375 00:32:50,210 --> 00:32:55,690 Speaker 1: concessions once they'd been looted. Evil had balked at the 376 00:32:55,750 --> 00:32:59,830 Speaker 1: expense of building fences to control the crowd. and the 377 00:32:59,870 --> 00:33:03,570 Speaker 1: few armed guards he'd employed were kept busy making sure 378 00:33:03,610 --> 00:33:07,910 Speaker 1: the X-2 wasn't wrecked in the mayhem. It might have 379 00:33:07,950 --> 00:33:11,170 Speaker 1: suited evil if the sky cycle had gone up in flames. 380 00:33:11,750 --> 00:33:15,380 Speaker 1: For once in his life, he realised that a positive 381 00:33:15,470 --> 00:33:23,160 Speaker 1: mental attitude was no replacement for sober preparation. The X-2 382 00:33:23,260 --> 00:33:27,530 Speaker 1: was registered as an aircraft by the Idaho authorities, And, 383 00:33:27,730 --> 00:33:31,220 Speaker 1: like an aircraft, it had pedals to control its tailplanes 384 00:33:31,460 --> 00:33:35,140 Speaker 1: and smooth its flight through the air. But Evil had 385 00:33:35,240 --> 00:33:39,960 Speaker 1: neither flown an aeroplane nor bothered to practice flying the X-2. 386 00:33:43,200 --> 00:33:47,270 Speaker 1: A steam-powered rocket would deliver a huge wallop when fired, 387 00:33:47,910 --> 00:33:52,690 Speaker 1: producing acceleration more intense than Evil had experienced before, even 388 00:33:52,750 --> 00:33:56,730 Speaker 1: on the fastest motorbike. and yet he had done nothing 389 00:33:56,830 --> 00:34:00,560 Speaker 1: to prepare his body for the shocks and G-forces he 390 00:34:00,580 --> 00:34:05,280 Speaker 1: was about to subject it to. Fighter pilots trained themselves 391 00:34:05,340 --> 00:34:08,620 Speaker 1: to clench and tense to prevent blacking out in the cockpit, 392 00:34:08,980 --> 00:34:11,800 Speaker 1: and they wore special garments to help them deal with 393 00:34:11,840 --> 00:34:17,100 Speaker 1: G-forces too. Evil merely donned his stars and stripes overalls. 394 00:34:18,060 --> 00:34:21,410 Speaker 1: When someone asked if he wasn't concerned about passing out, 395 00:34:21,950 --> 00:34:26,090 Speaker 1: Evil predictably dismissed the idea. I'm not planning on doing that. 396 00:34:26,910 --> 00:34:32,910 Speaker 1: I'm going to stay awake. Such spirited determination is no 397 00:34:33,070 --> 00:34:37,990 Speaker 1: substitute for a plan. For the other thing evil controlled 398 00:34:38,030 --> 00:34:42,470 Speaker 1: in the X2 was the deployment of a parachute that 399 00:34:42,490 --> 00:34:47,170 Speaker 1: would allow the SkyCycle and its pilot to float gently 400 00:34:47,250 --> 00:34:51,170 Speaker 1: to the ground, hopefully on the far side of the canyon. 401 00:34:53,140 --> 00:34:56,930 Speaker 1: After takeoff, Evil needed to hold back a lever with 402 00:34:56,930 --> 00:35:01,470 Speaker 1: 45 pounds of pressure until he deemed it time to 403 00:35:01,510 --> 00:35:05,570 Speaker 1: release his chute. Letting go of this handle would start 404 00:35:05,810 --> 00:35:10,810 Speaker 1: that deployment. If Evil passed out and his grip slackened, 405 00:35:11,520 --> 00:35:15,600 Speaker 1: the parachute would pay out immediately. But there was no 406 00:35:15,700 --> 00:35:18,700 Speaker 1: time to make good any of this lack of preparation. 407 00:35:19,840 --> 00:35:23,660 Speaker 1: Evil was clear. He'd bitten off more than he could chew. 408 00:35:24,460 --> 00:35:35,980 Speaker 1: and was about to pay for it with his life. Five, four, three, two, one. 409 00:35:37,800 --> 00:35:41,800 Speaker 1: Sitting in the X2, Evil saw the American flag atop 410 00:35:41,820 --> 00:35:45,820 Speaker 1: the launch ramp race by. Then he saw the blue 411 00:35:45,880 --> 00:35:50,980 Speaker 1: of the sky. But then I lost all perspective, Evil said. 412 00:35:51,930 --> 00:35:55,190 Speaker 1: I may have blacked out, I don't know. He came 413 00:35:55,290 --> 00:36:01,090 Speaker 1: to with a powerful arresting jolt. The X2 was violently slowing, 414 00:36:02,010 --> 00:36:07,160 Speaker 1: for the parachute had deployed too soon. The sky cycle 415 00:36:07,220 --> 00:36:11,780 Speaker 1: with a dazed evil Knievel trapped inside was in danger 416 00:36:11,820 --> 00:36:15,700 Speaker 1: of being dashed against the canyon or sinking in the river. 417 00:36:16,870 --> 00:36:21,360 Speaker 1: The ship's going down. It's going down, shouted a desperate announcer. 418 00:36:22,160 --> 00:36:26,940 Speaker 1: Helicopter cameras followed the X-2's descent as it narrowly missed 419 00:36:27,000 --> 00:36:31,200 Speaker 1: the rocky outcrops and finally came to rest in the river. 420 00:36:34,630 --> 00:36:41,730 Speaker 1: But mercifully close to the banks, evil was safe. At 421 00:36:41,750 --> 00:36:45,750 Speaker 1: the canyon rim, a reporter asked Robert Truax what had 422 00:36:45,790 --> 00:36:48,770 Speaker 1: gone wrong. It looks like you didn't hold on to 423 00:36:48,790 --> 00:36:54,390 Speaker 1: the handle, replied the exasperated engineer. The jump at Snake 424 00:36:54,430 --> 00:36:58,170 Speaker 1: River Canyon was meant to be a triumph, a crowning 425 00:36:58,290 --> 00:37:03,490 Speaker 1: glory for Evil Knievel. But at best, it was an anti-climax. 426 00:37:04,430 --> 00:37:09,640 Speaker 1: At worst, the start of a sad decline. Ever after, 427 00:37:10,060 --> 00:37:15,610 Speaker 1: Evil blamed Truax's parachute design for the abortive launch. Truax 428 00:37:15,670 --> 00:37:18,360 Speaker 1: thought Evil just hadn't been able to hold back the 429 00:37:18,400 --> 00:37:24,060 Speaker 1: release lever. Less charitable fans thought Evil had chickened out 430 00:37:24,560 --> 00:37:28,700 Speaker 1: and let the parachute out on purpose. And such cowardice 431 00:37:28,840 --> 00:37:35,280 Speaker 1: was poison for Evil's brand. The star's drinking increased as 432 00:37:35,320 --> 00:37:40,160 Speaker 1: the tempo of his public appearances slowed. He tried to 433 00:37:40,240 --> 00:37:43,260 Speaker 1: cash in on the success of the movie Jaws by 434 00:37:43,500 --> 00:37:48,930 Speaker 1: jumping a sedated tank of already docile lemon sharks. But 435 00:37:49,050 --> 00:37:52,470 Speaker 1: Evil injured himself and a bystander before the big event. 436 00:37:54,090 --> 00:37:58,800 Speaker 1: Evil just couldn't escape the shadow cast by Snake River Canyon. 437 00:37:59,620 --> 00:38:03,040 Speaker 1: Especially when a business partner published stories of just how 438 00:38:03,160 --> 00:38:06,180 Speaker 1: badly Evil had behaved in the run-up to the jump. 439 00:38:07,100 --> 00:38:09,240 Speaker 1: He found the man and beat him with a bat 440 00:38:10,080 --> 00:38:14,510 Speaker 1: earning a jail sentence and finally exhausting the sympathy of 441 00:38:14,550 --> 00:38:19,230 Speaker 1: the public. The man who did everything by the seat 442 00:38:19,250 --> 00:38:25,160 Speaker 1: of his pants was now flat on his behind. When 443 00:38:25,200 --> 00:38:27,580 Speaker 1: you do what I do for a living, you have 444 00:38:27,660 --> 00:38:31,680 Speaker 1: to have a positive mental attitude, he continued to say. 445 00:38:33,250 --> 00:38:48,290 Speaker 1: Maybe a little pessimism would have carried him further. The 446 00:38:48,350 --> 00:38:52,310 Speaker 1: primary sources for this story were Evil Knievel, Life of 447 00:38:52,490 --> 00:38:58,350 Speaker 1: Evil by Stuart Barker, the article Evil Knievel, Insurance Salesman 448 00:38:58,870 --> 00:39:03,930 Speaker 1: by Jake Rosson, and Think and Grow Rich by Napoleon Hill, 449 00:39:04,530 --> 00:39:08,660 Speaker 1: which is best approached as a work of fiction. Cautionary 450 00:39:08,720 --> 00:39:11,820 Speaker 1: Tales is written by me, Tim Harford, with Andrew Wright, 451 00:39:12,240 --> 00:39:16,580 Speaker 1: Alice Fiennes and Ryan Dilley. It's produced by Georgia Mills 452 00:39:16,660 --> 00:39:20,460 Speaker 1: and Marilyn Rust. The sound design and original music are 453 00:39:20,500 --> 00:39:25,310 Speaker 1: the work of Pascal Wise. Ben-Nadav Hafri edited the scripts. 454 00:39:26,350 --> 00:39:29,130 Speaker 1: The show also wouldn't have been possible without the work 455 00:39:29,150 --> 00:39:35,240 Speaker 1: of Jacob Weisberg, Greta Cohn, Corinne Gileard-Fisher, Eric Sandler, Christina Sullivan, 456 00:39:35,640 --> 00:39:40,070 Speaker 1: Keira Posey and Owen Miller. Cautionary tagline. is a production 457 00:39:40,090 --> 00:39:44,230 Speaker 1: of Pushkin Industries. If you like the show, please remember 458 00:39:44,510 --> 00:39:47,710 Speaker 1: to share, rate and review. It really does make a 459 00:39:47,730 --> 00:39:50,890 Speaker 1: difference to us. And if you want to hear it 460 00:39:51,390 --> 00:39:56,560 Speaker 1: ad-free and receive a bonus audio episode, video episode and 461 00:39:56,680 --> 00:40:01,080 Speaker 1: members-only newsletter every month, why not join the Cautionary Club? 462 00:40:01,680 --> 00:40:07,290 Speaker 1: To sign up, head to patreon.com slash cautionary club. That's patreon, 463 00:40:07,590 --> 00:40:12,810 Speaker 1: P-A-T-R-E-O-N dot com slash cautionary club.