
April 13, 1949 · 77 years old
Philippe Petit (born 13 August 1949) is a French high-wire artist who gained fame for his high-wire walk between the twin towers of the World Trade Center in New York City, New York, on 7 August 1974. For his feat (that he referred to as "le coup"), he used a 450-pound (200-kilogram) cable and a cus…

A look at tightrope walker Philippe Petit's daring, but illegal, high-wire routine performed between New York City's World Trade Center's twin towers in 1974, what some consider, "the artistic crime of the century".