Daredevil Nik Wallenda became the first person to walk across Niagara Falls on a high wire.
Tens of thousands of people gathered at the falls Friday night and millions more were believed to be watching on television as Wallenda crossed some 200 feet in the air on a two-inch-wide wire strung over the raging waters of Horseshoe Falls, the largest of the three falls that make up Niagara Falls.
Wallenda trotted in his final steps across the wire and stepped into Canada, barely 25 minutes after he started.
PHOTOS: Nik Wallenda Traverses Niagara Falls
After he greeted his wife and family, Wallenda was approached by customs agents, who asked him for his passport, which he presented.
"No, I'm not carrying anything over. I promise," he said.
"What is the purpose of your trip sir?" the agent asked.
"To inspire people around the world," Wallenda said.
Wallenda said the mist and the winds midway across the walk were the biggest challenge.
"It's all about the concentration, the focus, and it all goes back to the training," he said.
"I'm grinning from ear to ear because I can see I'm here. I made it," he added.
Walk Across Niagara: By the Numbers
Others have crossed the Niagara River itself, but never over the falls. Wallenda said that Friday night's feat was the fulfillment of a lifelong dream as well as a chance to honor his great-grandfather, legendary funambilist Karl Wallenda, who died after falling from a tightrope in Puerto Rico in 1978.
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