International borders serve as fodder for a frequently recurring topic on Twelve Mile Circle. I’ve written about borders in tunnels, borders across islands, and borders creating odd exclaves. I’ve even discussed a border that I crossed of somewhat dubious legality. However none of those approach the epic heights of one particularly noteworthy border crossing that took place in 2005. I can’t believe I didn’t know about it at the time. I just learned of it while researching another completely different topic that I’ll reveal soon enough.
David Smith Sr. is the patriarch of a notable family of human cannonballs. That’s right, I said human cannonballs. They shoot themselves from cannons at circuses, county fairs and various other public spectacles. He’s traveled the world as he’s practiced his unusual art. At one time he even held the world record for the longest human cannonball flight. Then his son David Smith Jr. improved upon the distance. At least they kept it in the family.
The Stunt
The life of a professional human cannonballer might seem a bit odd. Nonetheless, that doesn’t make him a living embodiment of geo-oddities all by itself. No, David Smith Sr. crossed that threshold when he shot himself over the international boundary from Mexico to the United States (map). Fortunately for us he documented it all on YouTube.
The Independent reported at the time,
“Smith climbed into the barrel of the cannon on a beach in Tijuana on Saturday and flashed his US passport. About 600 people applauded as he soared about 150ft before landing uninjured in a net in Border Field State Park in San Diego. US border patrol agents and an ambulance were waiting near by.”
He’d made arrangements with border officials ahead of time. Thus no worries, he made sure he crossed there legally. I like the part where someone asks him why he did it and he says, “for money… I get paid!“
Performance Art
There was an interesting premise behind this stunt. It’s included as part of a public art partnership between San Diego and Tijuana, a symbolic bit of performance art in this instance. A Venezuelan artist specializing in video installations, Javier Tellez, conceived of and organized the project along with psychiatric patients from Mexicali as a form of therapy.
He titled this artwork, “One Flew Over the Void“. So I’m going to guess that the title drew inspiration from One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest. I’m not sure if that’s a little tasteless, a stroke of genius or a bit of both.
That same year — a month earlier than the launch — the MythBusters television show aired an episode about the possibility of illegal aliens crossing the border using giant slingshots. It included clips of human cannonballs to craft a theory. The hosts concluded that a slingshot was not feasible. The device simply wouldn’t work as portrayed in the myth. Additionally it would likely kill the person flung so I believe that would defeat the purpose. That led me to wonder if Javier Tellez received inspiration from MythBusters or whether it was merely a strange coincidence.
A giant slingshot apparently wouldn’t do the trick but Javier Tellez and David Smith Sr. provided indisputable proof that a giant cannon would work just fine. There haven’t been any reports of border crossings via cannon since 2005 as far as I can determine. Therefore, apparently it’s not feasible in any practical sense. I’m sure border control agents would be able to spot a humongous cannon as it rolled up to the fence.
A user comment I spotted on one of the websites covering the event summed it up best: “When will we see a man of his caliber again?“
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