HE DID IT: Daredevil Nik Wallenda performed a history-making high-wire walk across Niagara Falls, in half of the time expected.
The crowd on Canadian side went wild as Wallenda reaches the Canadian side of Niagara Falls. Canadian border agents were on hand to check his passport as he disembarked from the wire.
"In the end, the winds were the issue - halfway through I started to think about my great-grandfather Karl Wallenda and it was all about paying tribute to him," Wallenda said after completing his historic walk.
Nik's wife, Erendira, and their three children arrive on the Canadian side by police escort
Nik's wife, Erendira, and their three children arrive on the Canadian side by police escort
Daredevil completes walk across Niagara Falls
Cloaked in darkness and enveloped by mist, aerialist Nik Wallenda walked across Niagara Falls on a tightrope late Friday and into the record books.
A promotional poster shows the orginal performers who came to America in 1928. Clockwise from top left are Karl Wallenda, Helen Wallenda, Joe Geiger and Herman Wallenda.
updated 10:55 PM EDT, Fri June 15, 2012
STORY HIGHLIGHTS
- NEW: Nik Wallenda walks into the record books
- "It's been a dream of mine for a long time," he tells CNN
- Wallenda had a near fall after stumbling on a tightrope above Baltimore's Inner Harbor
- His great-grandfather was killed at the age of 73 attempting to walk between two buildings
It was a historic walk that observers say was in line with his appetite for the extreme and the high-wire customs of his "Flying Wallendas" family.
Pumping his fist in the air, Wallenda sprinted the last few steps on the wire. After touching down on Canadian soil, he embraced his family.
"It's been a dream of mine for a long time," Wallenda told CNN before the attempt. "I'm one of those people who always tries to overachieve. I want to do more. I want to do bigger things."
Wearing a red and black rain jacket and a balance pole around his neck, Wallenda appeared calm and focused as he began the walk.
He took small steps, gingerly placing one foot in front of the other.
Thousands were on hand to watch Wallenda teeter his way on the 2-inch-wide wire over Horseshoe Falls toward Canada. He wore a harness at the insistence of those sponsoring the event, officials say, despite what he said was his desire to walk without a safety rig.
A promotional poster shows the orginal performers who came to America in 1928. Clockwise from top left are Karl Wallenda, Helen Wallenda, Joe Geiger and Herman Wallenda. Karl Wallenda performs on a sway pole in Europe before the troup's move to America in 1928.
Karl Wallenda performs on a sway pole in Europe before the troup's move to America in 1928. The Wallendas perform the four-person pyramid, one of their signature acts. In 1948, the team created a seven-person pyramid.
The Wallendas perform the four-person pyramid, one of their signature acts. In 1948, the team created a seven-person pyramid. The Wallendas practice an eight-person pyramid in 1947. This version was never performed in a show.
The Wallendas practice an eight-person pyramid in 1947. This version was never performed in a show. Karl Wallenda walks a tightrope between two corners of the Tower Hotel in London in 1976. Two years later, Wallenda died during a similar walk between two towers of the Condado Plaza Hotel in San Juan, Puerto Rico. He was 73.
Karl Wallenda walks a tightrope between two corners of the Tower Hotel in London in 1976. Two years later, Wallenda died during a similar walk between two towers of the Condado Plaza Hotel in San Juan, Puerto Rico. He was 73. A young Nik Wallenda watches his mother, Delilah, get ready for a show.
A young Nik Wallenda watches his mother, Delilah, get ready for a show. Nik Wallenda started performing with his family as a clown at age 2 and walking the wire at age 4.
Nik Wallenda started performing with his family as a clown at age 2 and walking the wire at age 4. Nik Wallenda and his sister, Lijana, practice walking the wire.
Nik Wallenda and his sister, Lijana, practice walking the wire. Nik Wallenda takes to the wire for the first time professionally at age 13.
Nik Wallenda takes to the wire for the first time professionally at age 13. Nik Wallenda attempts the "Wheel of Death" for the first time.
Nik Wallenda attempts the "Wheel of Death" for the first time. Nik Wallenda rehearses for his attempt to cross Niagara Falls on a wire in the parking lot of the Seneca Niagara Casino in Niagara Falls, New York.
Nik Wallenda rehearses for his attempt to cross Niagara Falls on a wire in the parking lot of the Seneca Niagara Casino in Niagara Falls, New York. Photos: Wallenda family amazes through the years
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"Fear is debilitating," Wallenda said. "It makes it so it's almost impossible. You overreact and that will cause you to fall."
Wallenda, who hails from multiple generations of high-flying daredevils, had a near fall as he stumbled on a tightrope above Baltimore's Inner Harbor earlier this year.
His great-grandfather Karl Wallenda was killed at the age of 73 attempting to walk between two buildings in Puerto Rico in 1978.
Friday's event was broadcast on ABC.
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