One of New York City’s first recorded daredevils was Frederick Laws. He was the first parachutist in the city, successfully jumping from the torch of the Statue of Liberty in February of 1912. During the same decade, Harry “The Human Fly” Gardiner, a stuntman known throughout the country, climbed the façade of the Flatiron Building—at the time one of the tallest buildings in the city.

Perhaps the most famous New York daredevil is tightrope walker Philippe Petit. In 1974, he and a friend installed a wire cable between the roofs of 1 and 2 World Trade Center. Braving high winds, Petit stepped out onto the cable above the morning rush hour crowds below, and performed for more than an hour before stepping off the cable and into the arms of the police. As an artist–in–residence at the Cathedral Church of St. John the Divine over the subsequent years, he performed repeatedly on a tightrope strung within the church.

Just one year later, in 1975, construction worker Owen James Quinn parachuted from 1 World Trade Center; he was almost caught before he made it to the roof, but a friend who was photographing the event distracted the security guard while Quinn climbed the final flight of stairs and jumped off. He was arrested and charged with trespassing, but the case was eventually thrown out of court.

As the tallest structures in the city, the twin towers continued to lure the bravest of New York’s daredevils. Over the years, several other parachutists successfully jumped from the top of these buildings: Nic Feteris, John Vincent, Van Refuse, Thor Alex Kappfjell, and one who successfully eluded the police and so remained anonymous. In 1977, Brooklyn toy maker George Willig decided to go the harder route: instead of jumping down, he wanted to climb all the way up. Using homemade equipment to help him grip the metal tracks used by window–washers, he climbed up the outside of 1 World Trade Center, a monumental three and a half hour ordeal. He was arrested at the top but the public loved his courageous stunt so much that the city reduced his fine to one penny for every floor he’d climbed—$1.10 total.

Thor Alex Kappfjell was the last person to parachute from the World Trade Center in 1999. He was a dedicated daredevil who had already parachuted from the Empire State Building and the Chrysler Building in 1998. After his first jump from the Empire State Building, he made a clean escape by jumping in a cab; he wasn’t so lucky with his later jumps, though, and was charged with reckless endangerment and criminal trespassing.

In 2001, Frenchman Terry DeBaux tried and failed to bungee jump from the torch of the Statue of Liberty. This part of the statue had been closed to the public for years, so he attempted to fly to the platform with a motorized parasail, which unfortunately got stuck on the torch and left him dangling until police cut him down.

What motivates people to attempt stunts like this? It’s hard to say; perhaps it’s a desperate wish to stand out in a city of ten million, or a more inscrutable appetite for danger. What is clear is that wherever there is a tall building or a famous landmark, there’ll be someone with an insatiable desire to get to the top—and jump off.