Philippe Petit

On August 7th 1974, a young Frenchman named Philippe Petit stepped out on a wire illegally rigged between New York's twin towers, then the world's tallest buildings. After nearly an hour dancing on the wire, he was arrested, taken for psychological evaluation, and brought to jail before he was finally released. Following six and a half years of dreaming of the towers, Petit spent eight months in New York City planning the execution of the coup. Aided by a team of friends and accomplices, Petit was faced with numerous extraordinary challenges: he had to find a way to bypass the WTC's security; smuggle the heavy steel cable and rigging equipment into the towers; pass the wire between the two rooftops; anchor the wire and tension it to withstand the winds and the swaying of the buildings. The rigging was done by night in complete secrecy. At 7:15 AM, Philippe took his first step on the high wire 1,350 feet above the sidewalks of Manhattan. James Marsh's documentary brings Petit's extraordinary adventure to life through the testimony of Philippe himself, and some of the co-conspirators who helped him create the unique and magnificent spectacle that became known as the artistic crime of the century.

High wire artist Philippe Petit discusses his walk between the Twin Towers.

One of the most exciting and memorable stories in the history of the World Trade Towers is that of Philippe Petit, a French man who walked a tightrope between the massive monuments in 1974. As we approach the 10 year anniversary of 9/11, the amazing story of Petit's daring feat between the world’s tallest buildings is the title tale on a new Scholastic Storybook Treasures release: THE MAN WHO WALKED BETWEEN THE TOWERS...AND MORE INSPIRING TALES. Narrated by Oscar nominee Jake Gyllenhaal, this is an animated adaptation of the lyrical Caldecott Award-winning book by Mordecai Gerstein. Directed and animated by Michael Sporn, with music by Michael Bacon (of the Bacon Brothers), the production is created for children ages 5 to 10. Other stories on this inspiring DVD include Miss Rumphius, the true story of Miss Rumphius who made the world a more beautiful place with a handful of seeds (narrated by Claire Danes); Crow Boy, a small boy who is different from the others and who gains acceptance when he imitates the voices of crows in the school talent show; and The Dinosaurs of Warehouse Hawkins, written by Barbara Kerley, illustrated by Brian Selznick and narrated by Jonathan Pryce, the awe-inspiring tale of how Warehouse Hawkins built the first life-sized dinosaur model that stunned the world.

The Kon Tiki sails to Polynesia, George Washington founded the Order of Purple Heart, a tightrope is between the World Trade Center Towers, and Joe Lieberman is Al Gore's Vice President candidate in This Day in History video. The date is August 7th. Frenchman, Philippe Petit, walks the tightrope between the Twin Towers and Norwegian adventurer Thor Heyerdahl reaches Polynesia.