The human cannonball act is a performance in which a person who acts as the "cannonball" is ejected from a cylinder that has been specially designed to resemble a cannon. The human cannonball lands on a horizontal net or inflated bag placed at the predicted landing point.

Human cannonballs are pretty much exactly what they sound like: These daredevil performers pack themselves into the tight confines of huge cannons, which shoot them high into the air. This performance has a long history with roots in old-time circuses, but as you'll see, no one has mastered the art of becoming a human bullet yet.

Frank Anson Richards, also known as Frank "Cannonball" Richards and Cannonball Richards (February 20, 1887 – February 7, 1969), was an American carnival and vaudeville performer whose act involved taking heavy blows to his abdomen. [1] Richards began by letting people (including heavyweight champion Jack Dempsey) punch him in the gut.

A round shot (also called solid shot or simply ball) is a solid spherical projectile without explosive charge, launched from a gun. Its diameter is slightly less than the bore of the barrel from which it is shot. A round shot fired from a large-caliber gun is also called a cannonball.

Nov 11, 2014 · Rose Zazal (nee Rossa Matilda Richter) began her career as a human cannon ball at age 14. The Guinness Book of World of Records tells us: 1877: Rosa Richter, known as Zazel, is the first recorded human cannonball with a shot of 6m (30ft) at the Royal Aquarium, London.

Dec 7, 2018 · The world’s first human cannonball Zazel was born Rossa Matilda Richter in 1863.* From an early age she was performing aerial stunts, and when she turned fourteen, she made a name for herself.

Ildebrando sons took turns being blasted out of the cannon. The act was an immediate sensation, and the Zacchini family and their ‘Circus Olympia’ toured Europe before huge crowds. John Ringling, the American circus impresario, spotted the Zacchini family human cannonballs at Tivoli Gardens in Copenhagen.

Oct 8, 2021 · On the 2nd of April, 1877, Rossa Richter, debuted her spectacular aerial act at the London Aquarium where she was known as Zazel, the first human cannonball. She was subjected to the highest level of danger. Zazel was fired from a spring-style cannon.

As a second-generation cannonball, David is carrying on a great family tradition of being the highest and farthest flying cannonballs of all time. He has performed over 9,000 shows around the globe.

May 21, 2023 · Allan McPherson, founder of the Blackpool Circus School, says that the firing mechanism for human cannonballs usually works by releasing compressed air. The amount and pressure of the air depends on the size of the person involved and how far they need to go.