Did you know any of these Niagara Falls facts before?
Despite there not being an official list of the world’s natural wonders, Niagara Falls is often described as one, and while no one can contest its beauty or how massive it is, some may say there are other waterfalls just as big and impressive. And while they are not wrong, every waterfall is impressive in its own right, and they come with their own impressive histories.
When it comes to Niagara Falls, is one of the most impressive natural landmarks in our country, and a lot of people come all the way across the world in order to see it. It would be a shame if people here did not go visit it. As Americans, we have the duty to both visit and understand it. This is why we’ve compiled a list of some of the most fascinating facts about Niagara Falls, so you can remember them the next time you visit and better understand the cultural impact it has!
Did you know all of these?
#1 It’s seen its fair share of battles
It would be weird to see a war break out with our Canadian neighbors, but back in the day, the whole region of Niagara was very prone to armed conflict. Not only would there be conflicts around the area, but in the area as well, and there have been armies marauding and battling there once every generation. Because of all the battles, the people who lived near the falls in 1812 most likely heard their fair share of gunshots.
The region also witnessed battles between England and France as they attempted to gain an advantage in the region, as well as the end of the American Civil War! It seems like only in the last few decades have the falls managed to be peaceful!
#2 Niagara Falls stopped a war
You wouldn’t think that something like a waterfall would have prevented the start of a war, but this is exactly what happened back in the 1910s. The rifts between the United States and Mexico got pretty tense due to border security and the Mexican Revolution, and after the American military took over the city of Velacruz, the two parties agreed to meet for a peace conference.
They agreed to hold it at the Niagara Falls because they thought that the natural beauty and serene view of the waterfall would quench the tension and help the ones discussing it put down their differences. Whether it was because of the waterfall or not, they did reach a peace agreement then! The sad part is that just as Mexico and the United States were wrapping up the peace conference, on the other side of the ocean, the First World War was just starting.
#3 It was drained in 1969
1969 was a pretty eventful year. And if you went to the Woodstock Music Festival, you might have been one of the lucky people who got to see Niagara Falls drained!Despite the fact that it would have taken you about 5 hours to get there, we wonder how many people who decided to extend their trip after the festival to see the waterfall were disappointed.
It was not completely drained, as just the American side shut down the flow for about eight months, but it was a pretty jarring sight! If you are asking why this happened, the answer is a bit superficial, if we are to be honest. They simply wanted to clear the rocks on the American side of the falls so that when the flow was restored, it would look more appealing!
#4 It left Oscar Wilde unimpressed
While a lot of people wish to be able to visit Niagara Falls and admire its grandeur, not everyone is impressed by the massive fall. Oscar Wilde is just one of the famous figures that went to visit the falls, and, unlike others, the Irish writer is actually known to have said that instead of being impressive, it was disappointing!
For people who are fans of the writer, this is just normal given how he acted, but for others, the fact that he was unimpressed was shocking. This is also probably why guides fail to mention him as someone who talked about the waterfall. And when you look at what he had to say about it and the fact that it was a honeymoon destination, you can see why!
“[Niagara Falls] must be one of the earliest, if not the keenest, disappointments in American married life.”
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#5 Popular attraction even for famous figures
Due to the positioning of the falls, it has always been a popular tourist attraction. Since you can get there from New York City, Ottawa, and Washington, D.C., the number of people visiting the impressive natural wonder has always been quite large. Because these cities are also important and large, famous people and politicians are among the tourists who visit.Since we already talked about a writer, it is only fair to mention the dignitaries and other famous figures that have visited as well.
The most notable examples are British Prime Minister Winston Churchill, who visited the falls with his daughter even during the height of the Second World War. And also John Franklin, a British explorer who visited in 1825 and, unlike Oscar Wilde, was thoroughly impressed by Niagara Falls! Unfortunately, the explorer disappeared in the Arctic later in the 1940s.
#6 The first one down the fall was not Annie Edson Taylor
While there are a lot of what are now considered silly challenges and “daredevil acts” that a ton of people (mostly young men) try to do when it comes to Niagara Falls, the first one that did something like this has become a part of history and an iconic moment in the waterfalls’ history. However, Annie Edson Taylor, a 63-year-old teacher, did do the amazing feat of going over the falls in a barrel as a way to make easy money; she was not the first!
It is little known that before attempting such a daring stunt, she first tested it by sending her cat down Niagara Falls! The name of the kitty has not been preserved by history or records, but while they do say that it got out of it “mostly unscathed,” we all must agree that this whole ordeal was animal cruelty and something stupid.
Not to mention, this makes the kitty the first one to do this stunt, despite it obviously not being something it wanted to achieve!
#7 The previous fact was not the only case of animal cruelty at Niagara Falls
The old lady testing her stunt with her cat is not just an isolated incident, as when it comes to Niagara Falls, there is a history of animal cruelty that has been documented, and sometimes it is truly frightening how little people used to care about animals. The most notable incident dates back to 1827, when William Forsyth, who owned a tavern in the vicinity of the waterfall, came up with a stunt in order to get more people to visit the area and thus his tavern.
He took a derelict vessel and filled it with animals to bring, only to send it over the falls. This was seen as entertainment, and even if the exact number of animals was not documented, there are a few that are known. The vessel contained at least a couple of bears, one or two dogs, a buffalo, and some geese. Surprisingly, the stunt did attract a lot of tourists—around 10,000 people were there to watch these animals drown. There were even predictions about how many would survive, but most of them were wrong: only one goose survived the ordeal.
Thankfully, we have abandoned these practices, but the history of Niagara Falls is truly dark!
If you’re looking for more secrets and tips about traveling to popular destinations in the United States, here are the best locally only known ones about Hawaii!
