A Barrel of Fun?

Today’s history lesson:

Annie Edson Taylor of Bay City, MI was the first to survive a trip over Niagara Falls in a barrel. She used a custom-made barrel with padding and leather straps. She climbed inside the airtight barrel, the air pressure was compressed with a bicycle pump and on her 63rd birthday, October 24, 1901, with her pet cat cradled in her arms, she headed down the Niagara River towards Horseshoe Falls. After the plunge, rescuers found her alive with only a small gash on her head. She was hoping for fame and fortune with her stunt, but she died in poverty.