- published: 14 Oct 2014
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The Grand Canyon (Hopi: Ongtupqa; Yavapai: Wi:kaʼi:la) is a steep-sided canyon carved by the Colorado River in the United States in the state of Arizona. It is contained within and managed by Grand Canyon National Park, the Hualapai Tribal Nation, and the Havasupai Tribe. President Theodore Roosevelt was a major proponent of preservation of the Grand Canyon area, and visited it on numerous occasions to hunt and enjoy the scenery. It is considered one of the Seven Natural Wonders of the World.
The Grand Canyon is 277 miles (446 km) long, up to 18 miles (29 km) wide and attains a depth of over a mile (6,000 feet / 1,800 metres) Nearly two billion years of the Earth's geological history have been exposed as the Colorado River and its tributaries cut their channels through layer after layer of rock while the Colorado Plateau was uplifted. While the specific geologic processes and timing that formed the Grand Canyon are the subject of debate by geologists, recent evidence suggests the Colorado River established its course through the canyon at least 17 million years ago. Since that time, the Colorado River continued to erode and form the canyon to its present-day configuration.
Nikolas Wallenda, known as Nik Wallenda born January 24, 1979 is an American high wire artist, acrobat, daredevil and Guinness Book of Records world record-holder. A direct descendant of Karl Wallenda (founder of the The Flying Wallendas), Nik is known for performing death-defying stunts on highwire without a safety net. On October 15, 2008, during a live broadcast of Today, Wallenda walked and then bicycled across a suspended highwire 13 and 1/2 stories above the ground off the roof of the Prudential Center in Downtown Newark, New Jersey for a Guinness Book of Records world record for longest and highest bicycle on a highwire.
Wallenda, born in Sarasota, Florida, began performing with his family at an early age. As the seventh generation of the Wallenda Family, he first performed at the age of two (dressed as a clown), began walking the wire at age 4 and had his first professional wire performance at 13. In 1998, while 19 years old, he participated in the re-creation of Karl Wallenda's seven-person pyramid on the highwire in Detroit, Michigan by his father Terry and mother Delilah and decided to make a career of it.