On June 26, 1971, Petit executed his first big walk when he strolled between the towers of the Notre Dame cathedral. If you’re keeping score, he was 223 feet (68 meters) above earth.

But Petit’s life-long goal was to walk between the Twin Towers.

Petit planned his World Trade Center walk for months, pulling together a small group of confidantes, including an “inside man” who had an office in one of the buildings.

On the night before the performance, an arrow was shot from one roof to the other so that fishing line, fastened to the arrow, could pull the rope across. Eventually, the rope was substituted with heavy wire.

Rigging took up most of the night, but Petit started his walk – err, WALKS – just after 7am. He claimed to have made eight crossings between the towers over 45 minutes, embellishing the performance by sitting and lying down upon the wire as a crowd gathered below.

Of course, the friendly NYC police were waiting for him after he finished his stroll, but instead of taking him to a holding cell, they took him to a mental hospital to check on his sanity. (Charges were later dropped.)

Petit emerged as a famous man but rejected many opportunities to capitalize on his celebrity.