David Blaine Ascension
When he was five years old, David Blaines mother took him to see a movie about a boy who floats away on a bunch of balloons. Sparking dreams for a young David of flying over New York City, he also cites it as a moment that inspired his love of levitation and magic.
In 2020, Blaine turned that dream into a reality by performing the David Blaine Ascension stunt in Page, Arizona where he attempted to fly as high as he could holding 52 specially designed helium-filled balloons. Attached to a harness, Blaine would float high into the sky — reaching 24,900 feet (7.6km) above sea level.
Once he reached this point, he cut himself loose and free-fell for some 30 seconds before deploying a parachute to slow his descent. He landed successfully and without harm. The stunt was streamed live on YouTube and set a new record as the most-watched YouTube Originals live event ever with over 770,000 viewers.