Evel Knievel passed away on Friday. Evel and I were both born in Montana. While I was growing up I noted that a lot of famous people came to visit Montana but there weren’t a lot of famous people from Montana. Evel Knievel was the only one I knew. I also wondered if only a Montanan would be brave (or crazy) enough to do those stunts.

If you’re interested in knowing more about his life be sure to check out the article on him in Wikipedia. Here’s an excerpt:

Knievel dropped out of high school after his sophomore year and got a job with the Anaconda Mining Company as a diamond drill operator in the copper mines. He was promoted to surface duty where drove a large earth mover. Knievel was fired when he made the earth mover pop a motorcycle-type wheelie and drove it into Butte’s main power line. The incident left the city without electricity for several hours.