7-Year-Old Who Survived Niagara Falls: The True Story of Roger Woodward

In 1960, 7-year-old Roger Woodward went over Horseshoe Falls wearing only a life jacket and survived. Discover the incredible true story behind one of Niagara’s greatest miracles. Here is apparently smiling after getting rescued.

On July 9, 1960, Niagara Falls became the stage for one of the most unbelievable survival stories in history.

A summer boat ride on the Niagara River turned into a nightmare when the current seized a small aluminum boat carrying seven-year-old Roger Woodward, his sister Deanne, and family friend James Honeycutt. The river was merciless. In seconds, they were swept toward the brink of Horseshoe Falls.

Deanne was rescued in a daring grab just before the edge. Honeycutt vanished with the boat. And Roger—wearing nothing but a small orange life jacket—was carried over the 188-foot drop.

Witnesses describe the moment with awe even now. The roar as he disappeared into the mist. The impossible quiet that followed. And then—a flash of orange bobbing in the churning white below. Roger was alive. Against all odds, the Maid of the Mist steered into the foam, its crew pulling the shivering boy from the water.

Roger Woodward didn’t plan a stunt. He wasn’t a daredevil. He was a child who fell through thunder and lived. His survival remains a story that belongs less to headlines and more to myth—a moment where the Falls, for one breath, bent their rules.

Stand at the edge of Horseshoe Falls today. Feel the pull of the river under your feet. Look at the drop and try to imagine a seven-year-old boy surviving it. The mist keeps the memory. The roar still carries his name.

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Can you imagine a small boy surviving this!?!