The Miracle of Niagara Falls
On July 9, 1960, a man took a young brother and sister out for a boat ride on the upper part of the Niagara River.
The boat started having engine trouble, flipped over, and all three of them ended up in the water. The man was pulled by the strong current and went over Niagara Falls. Sadly, he did not survive.
The 16-year-old girl, Deanne Woodward, was lucky—two men onshore grabbed her just in time before she could go over the falls too.
Her 7-year-old brother, Roger, who was wearing a life jacket, was swept away by the rushing water and went right over the falls, which are about 175 feet high. Normally, falls like that take about 30 lives each year.
No one believed he could live through such a fall. But one of the boats that takes tourists near the base of the falls spotted him floating in his life jacket. In just seconds, they pulled him safely onto the boat.
Roger was shaken and scared, but not badly hurt. The body of the man who was driving the boat was found four days later. Since that day, Roger and his sister have visited the falls many times, remembering both the fear and the miracle of that incredible day.