BROADCASTS.com

Larry Donovan made headlines by jumping off the Brooklyn Bridge on 28th August, 1886: a daring feat that earned him the name of the \u2018Champion Jumper of the World\u2019 and a reputation for daredevil jumps that ultimately led to his early death.\nDonovan, who worked for the Police Gazette, an early men's magazine filled with sensational stories, prepared for the jump via a mix of practicality and showmanship, deploying weighted shoes to maintain his posture during the fall and padded leggings for protection, but also a black derby hat for style.\xa0\nIn this episode, Arion, Rebecca and Olly discover the 1880s meme for jumping off bridges; consider why Donovan never attracted the devoted following in Britain he had managed to achieve in America; and reveal how a drunken bet brought the story of this early viral star to a tragic end\u2026\xa0\nCONTENT WARNING: reference to suicide, death by jumping\nFurther Reading:\n\u2022 \u2018Larry Donovan, 1880s Bridge Jumper, Lived Too Soon\u2019 (Atlas Obscura, 2017): https://www.atlasobscura.com/articles/larry-donovan-bridge-jumper\n\u2022\xa0\u2019Steve Brodie and the Brooklyn Bridge\u2019 (ThoughtCo, 2017): https://www.thoughtco.com/steve-brodie-and-the-brooklyn-bridge-1773925\n\u2022 \u2018The Infamous Eiffel Tower Death Jump of 1912\u2019 (Content Warning: Death) (Bailey James, 2020): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MDUYPrKKM5M\n\nLearn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices