The motorcycle Wall of Death is one of the oldest and most spectacular carnival daredevil acts, with riders racing motorcycles around the vertical walls of a large wooden cylinder while spectators watch from a platform around the top. Emerging from American carnival and fairground culture in the early 20th century, the attraction evolved from bicycle and automobile motordrome exhibitions and became especially popular during the 1920s and ’30s. Once up to speed, centrifugal effects and tire friction allow riders to travel almost horizontally around the wall, seemingly defying gravity just feet below the crowd.
Skilled Wall of Death riders soon turned simple laps into increasingly dangerous stunts—riding hands-free, standing on the seat, passing other motorcycles, reaching toward spectators, or performing alongside small cars and other riders. Traveling shows carried the spectacle across the United States and overseas, where it became a fixture of British, European, and Indian fairgrounds as well. Although its heyday has long passed, a handful of traditional Walls of Death still operate today, preserving an old-school form of motorsports entertainment built from little more than wooden planks, roaring motorcycles, gasoline fumes, and a remarkable amount of nerve.
