On This Day: Groundhogs and Base-Jumpers

Groundhog Day? Puh-lease. That’s what you’d expect, though, right?

But did you know that today in 1912 the very first stuntman did his very first stunt?

On Feb. 2, 1912, Frederick Rodman Law jumped off the Statue of Liberty  with a parachute, earning himself a $1,500 paycheck from a movie company, Pathe, that shot the stunt for a film. In doing so, he became the first “Hollywood” stuntman. He went on to jump into the Hudson River from an exploding balloon and jump off the Brooklyn Bridge later that year.

That’s right, this guy was probably the first thrill-seeking yokel to turn his hobby into a paid job.