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Alvin "Shipwreck" Kelly, American Darevdevil

Aloysius Anthony Kelly, AKA Alvin "Shipwreck" Kelly (May 11, 1893 - October 11, 1952), was an American daredevil pole sitter. At the height of his fame he toured 28 cities, charging admission to people who wanted to stand on roofs to see his performance stunts. In 1930 he set a world record by sitting on a flagpole on top of the Steel Pier in Atlantic City, 225 feet high, for 49 days and one hour. He once calculated that over two decades he spent 20,613 hours sitting on flagpoles, of which 210 were in sub-freezing weather and 1400 hours in the rain. While pole sitting, Kelly was said to have subsisted mainly on coffee and cigarettes. He learned how to nap while sitting upright, and never was secured by more than a simple leg strap. In the 1930s there was less tolerance for such stunts, and police took a dim view of the disruption it caused. His last flagpole-sitting appearance was at an Orange, Texas event sponsored by the Lion's Club on October 4, 1952, one week before his death. Kelly died in 1952, at the age of 59, when he was struck by a car while walking on West 51st Street. For a time his body was unclaimed at the morgue. At the time of his death a scrapbook of his exploits was under his arm. He had titled the scrapbook "The Luckiest Fool on Earth." No photographer credited, undated.
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Title:
Alvin "Shipwreck" Kelly, American Darevdevil
Caption:
Aloysius Anthony Kelly, AKA Alvin "Shipwreck" Kelly (May 11, 1893 - October 11, 1952), was an American daredevil pole sitter. At the height of his fame he toured 28 cities, charging admission to people who wanted to stand on roofs to see his performance stunts. In 1930 he set a world record by sitting on a flagpole on top of the Steel Pier in Atlantic City, 225 feet high, for 49 days and one hour. He once calculated that over two decades he spent 20,613 hours sitting on flagpoles, of which 210 were in sub-freezing weather and 1400 hours in the rain. While pole sitting, Kelly was said to have subsisted mainly on coffee and cigarettes. He learned how to nap while sitting upright, and never was secured by more than a simple leg strap. In the 1930s there was less tolerance for such stunts, and police took a dim view of the disruption it caused. His last flagpole-sitting appearance was at an Orange, Texas event sponsored by the Lion's Club on October 4, 1952, one week before his death. Kelly died in 1952, at the age of 59, when he was struck by a car while walking on West 51st Street. For a time his body was unclaimed at the morgue. At the time of his death a scrapbook of his exploits was under his arm. He had titled the scrapbook "The Luckiest Fool on Earth." No photographer credited, undated.
Credit:
Album / NYPL/Science Source
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Image size:
2224 x 6150 px | 39.1 MB
Print size:
18.8 x 52.1 cm | 7.4 x 20.5 in (300 dpi)
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