Evel Knievel

It took more than just a crash to keep the stuntman formerly known as Robert Craig Knievel down: it took a spectacular crash, like the one he suffered on Dec. 31, 1967 while trying to jump over the fountains outside Caesars Palace in Las Vegas on a motorcycle. The attempt was filmed by ABC's Wide World of Sports; it made Knievel, who had been daredeviling around the speedways of the western U.S. to growing crowds, a national celebrity. Unfortunately, he had to wait nearly a month to enjoy it: the crash, which broke Knievel's pelvis and ribs and fractured his skull, left him in a coma for 29 days.

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