Today in motorcycle history, July 16, 1972

   



  

  Evel Knievel jumps 13 buses at the now-defunct Minnesota Dragways. 

  Montana's favorite son, friend to Presidents and Elvis, motorcycle daredevil extraordinaire, Evel Knievel successfully jumps thirteen buses placed side-by-side on a blisteringly hot afternoon at Minnesota Dragways in Coon Rapids, Minnesota.




  It wouldn't have been an official Evel event without some sort of memorable drama: one longtime Anoka County resident, who was eight months pregnant at the time, passed out in the inescapable heat, and came to in her car in time to hear a loudspeaker announcement about the “lady who needed assistance.”

  Moments later, Evel Knievel himself appeared at the window to ask if she was OK, and she was, but she was unable to get back inside to see him jump. 

  Oh yeah, a private Lear jet crashed into Knievel’s trailer while landing at the drag strip.












  Today in motorcycle history proudly supports the National Association for Bikers with a Disability (NABD). www.nabd.org.uk