philippe petit walked across a tightrope strung between the world trade center twin towers, 35 years ago today!!

on august 7, 1974, philippe petit walked across a tightrope that he and his friends had strung between the twin towers of the world trade center. the incredible act, and the amazing adventure undertaken to get the stunt off the ground (love that pun) was the subject of last year's riveting documentary, "man on wire," that dramatized his story with archival footage and interviews.

in what some dubbed the "artistic crime of the century," petit set off from the south tower across the tightrope just after 7:15 a.m. and completed the walk between the towers not once, but multiple times! he was arrested, but all formal charges were eventually dropped in exchange for his promise to perform a special show for children.

for anyone who hasn't seen the documentary yet, rent "man on wire" - it's a must see for new yorkers, and for anyone with an urban sense of adventure!