William Leonard Hunt
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
William Leonard Hunt, (June 10, 1838-January 17, 1929), was one of the greatest figures in Canadian show business, as well as the first white man to cross the Kalahari Desert and survive.
Contents |
[edit] Early life
Young William was born to Thomas and Hannah Hunt in Lockport, New York, the second child. His parents were strict disciplinarians, but their punishments had little effect on him; as he later recalled, he “Took pleasure in disobeying their commands.” In 1843, his father moved to Hope Township, in Canada, and his father became a farmer, but soon abandoned the lifestyle and moved to Bowmanville, where he set up a general store. By this time the Hunt’s had five children, and William was as wild as ever. A few years after the move to Bowmanville, a circus came to town, and after sneaking in to see it, William became infatuated with the idea of show business, and began developing his muscles and acrobatic talent in secret. He became surprisingly proficient, and on October 1, 1859 he undertook his first professional high wire performance, in Port Hope, Canada, calling himself Signor Farini. It was a resounding success, and was followed six days later by a show of strength in the town hall.
[edit] Niagara Falls
The Great Farini made his debut performance at Niagara falls on the August 15, 1860, went off perfectly, and was followed by many others all through the summer of 1860; his feats included crossing with a man on his back, with a sack over his entire body, doing summersaults while on the rope, hanging from it by his feet, and a variety of other maneuvers that scarcely seem possible. He even performed for the Prince of Wales on one occasion.
[edit] European career
After this, Farini wandered the United States for some time before going to London in 1866. He quickly became a legend, and was one of the most celebrated acrobats in Europe, performing with a young child known as El Nino for some time, and in 1869 ended his acrobatic career, knowing that if he kept it up he would eventually be seriously injured.
However, just because he was no longer performing would not keep him away form show business. He became a trainer and manager of acrobats, as well as an inventor. His first invention was a cannon capable of firing people high into the air, and, like everything Farini put his hand to, it was an amazing success. (Many circus historians credit him with the invention of the first human cannonball.) For the next few years he came up with many such acts, even partnering with the legendary P.T. Barnum for some time, before he took off for Africa in 1885.
[edit] Africa
Farini overcame many obstacles and traversed the Kalahari Desert during his stay in Africa, becoming the first white man to survive the crossing. He also claimed to have found the famous Lost City of the Kalahari, but these claims have never been verified; the debate over what he really did find, if anything, continues to this day.
[edit] Last Days
For the rest of his life, Farini continued to add to his already impressive list of accomplishments, including inventing many more things, before he died of influenza on January 17, 1929.
[edit] Sources
Peacock, Shane. The Great Farini: The High-Wire Life of William Hunt (1995) ISBN 0-14-024360-7
