Saturday, May 7, 2011

daredevil



It's amazing what you can find on Google. Every four to six months I google my great-grandfather's name, John Tranum, to see what the world wide web might have on him. For you new readers, my great-grandad was a famous Danish stuntman, daredevil and pioneer of parachuting and BASE jumping during the twenties and early thirties. He was the real deal— a man who fearlessly followed his dream with a devilish grin and a gleam in his eye.

I came upon this Danish site of historical press photos and found what are probably the last photos of my great-grandad alive before his 10,000 metre— yes, 10,000 metre, record-breaking jump. Sadly, he never made it out of plane. On March 7th in 1935, at around 8,500 metres, his oxygen apparatus failed.

5 comments:

Thomas said...

Simply amazing!

szaza said...

Yes, he was out of the books— a real adventurer. A first. A legend. A legend who should be remembered.

Joy said...

What a great keepsake for you and your family! Amazing!

AD said...

I love your blog, and I love it even more when you write about your Danish heritage. Please let me know if there is anything that I can help you with, being a dane myself, maybe there is something I can do for you.
Thank you again for a wonderful blog.

szaza said...

Thank you so much, Anja!
I'm so happy you enjoy the blog— and if there is anything I can think of, I'll let you know!
Thanks again :)