The story of Philippe Petit is one of the most daring real-life adventures in history. In 1974, in New York City, he walked a high wire between the Twin Towers of the World Trade Center, defying death and gravity in an unforgettable act of balance and passion.
Philippe Petit, an aerial artist from France, his life's passion was wire walking. There was nothing more beautiful to him in the world than the moments when he was walking on the wire, performing for people. But the street shows he was doing weren't satisfying his great desire for adventure. He wanted to do something no one in the world had done before him, he wanted to put on shows that would amaze the whole world. So he decided he would try walking above the most prestigious and famous buildings in different parts of the world. Of course, to do this, he would be in direct confrontation with the law, because no authority would allow him to walk above such high and important buildings. But Philippe would plan and execute complex infiltration operations on some of the most famous and tallest buildings in the world to walk on a wire above them. Finally, he set his sights on the Twin Towers in New York.
The World Trade Center Dream: A Challenge of the Biggest and Smartest Infiltrations
The World Trade Center towers, which at that time were the tallest towers in the world, Philippe decided to try walking between them in a challenge and direct confrontation with the law. And he would execute one of the most complex and intelligent infiltration and breaking-in operations in an attempt to hang a wire between the towers, and after that, he would try to walk on this wire. This French man, Philippe, was an acrobat from a young age, and he used to attend circus shows and became fascinated by them, and the most captivating thing for him was "wire walking in particular".
The Fascination with Wire Walking: A Journey of Learning and Professionalism
When he saw the man or the acrobat walking on the wire, he felt a completely different feeling, he saw this thing and felt it was very amazing, and he couldn't comprehend how a human could walk on a wire at such a high altitude. So with the fascination he developed for this from a young age, he started trying to imitate it. He started trying to stretch ropes himself and walk on them, trying to balance and learn and develop, and he taught himself until he became a professional in wire walking over time. Along with his wire walking skills, he acquired various acrobatic skills, and he started performing shows in the streets of Paris, so people would gather around him and enjoy him doing what he loved, and at the same time he would collect money from those who wished to support him from the audience. But Philippe aspired to something bigger, he had a spirit of adventure, so he wanted to put on spectacular shows that would amaze the whole world. His ambitions were bigger than just street performances.
The First Inspiration: The World Trade Center in 1968
This is where our story begins. One day in 1968, Philippe had a toothache, so he went to the dentist's office. And there, while he was waiting, he saw a magazine and started reading it to entertain himself. In this magazine, there was an article about the Twin Towers, the World Trade Center, which were currently being built in New York. These two towers would be exact replicas of each other, and when their construction was finished, they would be the tallest towers in the world, 412 meters tall. As soon as Philippe's eyes fell on the drawing of the two towers in the magazine, he immediately began to imagine a wire between them, a wire he could walk on. And from that moment, this idea stuck in his head.
Challenges of Realizing the Dream: Mastering the Pulling of Heavy Cables
Of course, the idea was crazy, besides the towering height, it was impossible for the authorities to allow him to do something like this, so he had to do it illegally. And anyway, before all this, he had to master the method of stretching the wire and try different types of wires, because at such a height, it would be impossible to walk on a normal wire. It had to be a steel wire, like a cable, and this type of wire requires special skills and tools to be stretched and secured. Philippe, being a professional, knew these types of wires and their methods of securing and the tools he needed to use, but he needed to improve his skill in this aspect. And from here he began to learn and draw on the experiences of the professionals he knew. And with time and some training, his professionalism in stretching and securing wires increased, especially heavy cables, because this aspect was important if he intended to do crazy and big adventures like the ones he had in mind.
Jean-Louis's Friendship: Philippe's Companion in Grand Adventures
During his travels and performances in the streets, Philippe met a person named Jean-Louis, and this person would become his best friend. Jean-Louis was a photographer in Paris, and he met Philippe when he saw him performing one of his wire walking shows in the street. Over time, his relationship with Philippe grew stronger and they became close friends. And Jean-Louis, being a photographer, always loved to take pictures of Philippe doing his stunts and performances. Philippe was the kind of person who, if an idea came to his mind, it would completely possess him, meaning he couldn't think of anything else, and the idea of walking between the two towers completely obsessed him. Even though the construction of the towers hadn't finished yet, meaning they wouldn't be finished for years to come.
The Notre Dame Experience: Meticulous Planning for the First Major Challenge
So Philippe's enthusiasm led him to a second idea, he had to find new adventures to occupy him until the towers were built. And from here came the idea of walking between the towers of Notre Dame Cathedral. Notre Dame Cathedral is one of the most famous churches and buildings in Paris, and it is considered a historical landmark. Anyway, when this idea occurred to Philippe, he immediately became excited, because if he walked between the cathedral's towers, everyone in Paris would hear about it, and this was his goal, he wanted to present a big show. But of course, the authorities and those responsible for the cathedral would never allow him to do this, so he had to do it illegally. So he and his friend Jean-Louis began to plan this operation together. Over time, they managed to forge a key to the doors that would lead them to the roof of the towers above the cathedral, and they began to inspect this roof and study how they could carry out this operation. The matter took a long period of planning and experiments, it took them almost a full year until they finalized all the details of the plan.
Executing the Notre Dame Challenge: Techniques for Extending the Wire Between the Towers
On the day of execution, which was in June 1971, they infiltrated the cathedral in the middle of the night and went up to the two towers, one of them on each side. Philippe used a small ball the size of a tennis ball and tied a fishing line to it, because the fishing line is light and he could easily tie it to this ball and throw it to the other side or the other tower where his friend Jean-Louis was standing. Of course, Philippe would not walk on this thin fishing line, but the fishing line is strong and can carry heavy weights, so they could tie a normal rope to one of its ends and extend this rope between the two towers. But Philippe would not walk on a normal rope either, he needed a strong steel wire to walk on, a wire like a cable. So using the normal rope, they extended a second, stronger and larger rope. And then using this stronger and larger rope, they connected the fourth and final rope, which was the heavy steel wire or cable. This means they needed to extend four ropes back and forth, each one stronger and heavier than the previous one, to reach the steel wire that Philippe would walk on. After that, of course, they stretched the steel wire and secured it using their professional methods that they had trained on, and made sure that it was completely stable.
The Historic Notre Dame Performance: Challenging Police and Crowds
When morning came and tourists and people began to flock to the place, Philippe began his performance in front of them and walked on the wire. This shot you see in front of you is a real shot of the moments when Philippe walked between the cathedral towers, and these are also real photos taken by his friend Jean-Louis, who was his assistant and partner in the operation. Philippe did not only walk on the wire, but he also performed, sitting on the wire and lying on it and doing acrobatic movements. And the people who gathered below applauded him, amazed by the performance. And even some of the people who were working in the cathedral went up to the towers to see him up close. And of course, with them went up the policemen who immediately ordered Philippe to get off the wire. But on the contrary, Philippe continued to defy and continued to perform for the audience more and more. In the end, after about an hour, he finished and got off the wire, and the police immediately arrested him. Of course, in the end, he was not charged with major offenses, and he was released shortly thereafter.
Sydney Harbour Bridge: An Adventure in Australia in 1973
After the Notre Dame Cathedral adventure, Philippe's excitement increased to present bigger shows that would amaze the whole world. Of course, the towers were still on his mind, but their construction was still ongoing. Philippe's madness would then take him to the other side of the world, specifically to Sydney, Australia. In 1973, Philippe would meet an Australian man named Mark, and with Mark's help, he would carry out one of his most powerful crazy performances. This bridge in front of you is called the Sydney Harbour Bridge, one of the most famous bridges in Australia and one of the biggest tourist symbols in the city of Sydney. Philippe, with the help of his Australian friend Mark, decided that they would extend a wire over this bridge. And using the same methods they used at Notre Dame Cathedral, they infiltrated the bridge in the middle of the night and extended a steel wire or cable between the two ends of the bridge. And on the morning of the next day, with the traffic congestion crossing the bridge, Philippe began his performance.
Balancing Challenges on the Wire: The Importance of Long Anchor Points
These shots in front of you are all real shots, Philippe is walking confidently on the wire, and people and cars are passing under him through the bridge. Of course, people quickly noticed and a large crowd gathered under the bridge, and even traffic was disrupted. Philippe, as usual, loved to show off with his movements, he sat on the wire and lay on the wire, and he kept greeting the audience below. Of course, this wire was longer than the wire he stretched over Notre Dame Cathedral. And when the wire length increases, it becomes necessary to secure it with anchor points so that it does not move. I mean, imagine if we stretched a long wire, even if it was steel and heavy, it would move right and left and even up and down with the movement of the wind, and it might even coil around itself, especially if it was secured at a high altitude, the wind movement is strong at high altitudes. And no matter how professional a person is at balancing, it is impossible to balance on a wire that moves in this way. So here they have to use anchor points to stabilize the wire. These anchor points are called guy lines, because they stabilize the wire. So these points you see in front of you are the anchor points or guy lines, and they are ropes extended downwards whose function is to stabilize the main wire and prevent it from moving violently with the movement of the wind. The guy lines or anchor ropes were extended downwards to the sides of the bridge.
Return to New York: Tower Surveillance and Detailed Planning
After Philippe finished his performance over the bridge, the police were waiting for him, and as usual, he was immediately arrested afterward. Every time Philippe performed one of these crazy shows, he would become more famous and newspapers and magazines around the world would write about him, and a large number of journalists and media organizations would ask for interviews with him. And he, of course, was enjoying this. But no matter how many shows he performed, no matter what he accomplished, no matter what crazy things he did, the one thing that always occupied his mind was the World Trade Center towers in New York. And by the way, the towers were about to be completed. Philippe, of course, was following the news of the towers closely, and he was trying to get his hands on any article or photos of the towers published in newspapers and magazines. So he saw these news and articles that the towers were almost complete, meaning most of the floors were finished, except for the high floors at the top. Of course, here Philippe began to think that this was the right time to carry out his idea, because he didn't want all the floors to be finished and populated with people, but now was the right time when the upper floors were still empty and had no one in them, this would allow him to carry out his plan with greater ease. The most important thing was that the roof was there. So Philippe decided to travel to America and go to New York himself and see the towers in real life. And indeed, in January 1974, it was his first trip to New York.
First Visit to the Towers: Realizing the True Difficulty of the Dream
As soon as the plane landed and he left the airport, he headed to the towers. And as soon as he saw them, he stood amazed, not comprehending what he was seeing in front of him. The towers were 412 meters tall, the tallest towers in the world at that time. So he was standing under the towers, not comprehending how he could walk between them. At that moment, he felt that his dream was impossible and that this idea of his was stupid and too crazy. I mean, besides the challenge of walking and balancing at this dizzying height, how would he stretch the wire between the towers? How would he get the tools up there? How would he get the wire from one tower to the other? And how would he do all this without being discovered or caught? When you think about it, you immediately realize that it's impossible. Even Philippe, who was perhaps the craziest person in the world, felt helpless as he stood beneath the towers. But this feeling of helplessness only lasted moments, and then he decided to continue and delve deeper into the matter. He knew that the first step he had to take was to go up to the roof of the towers and see them and inspect them himself. Here Philippe called one of his acquaintances in New York, a photographer named Jim Moore, with whom he had a simple relationship.
Exploring the Rooftops: Planning Cable Extension and Height Challenges
Philippe and his friend Jim Moore decided to try entering one of the towers and attempting to go up to the roof. They managed at first to use one of the elevators, meaning they entered the elevator normally and rode it up. The highest floor the elevator could reach at that time was the 86th floor. And as soon as they exited the elevator, one of the guards confronted them and asked for their identities, because anyone authorized to go up to the top of the tower was supposed to have an ID and an identification card. So when the guard confronted them and asked for their identities, they apologized and told him that they were lost and went back down to the ground floor. But they went back up again, but this time by stairs to avoid the guards. Imagine they climbed 110 floors until they reached the top of the roof, this was the height of the towers, 110 floors. Finally, they reached the roof and Philippe began to examine every corner of it, and his friend Jim Moore the photographer began to take pictures of every corner of it. Philippe was contemplating the edges of the tower and at the same time trying to imagine how he would extend the wire and cable to the opposite tower. The distance was not simple at all, and this operation would certainly be complex. But at the same time, there were positive points, there were exposed iron columns and beams on the edge of the roof, which they could use to tie and secure the cable. These iron beams were exposed because the construction had not yet finished, so this was their good fortune. Philippe was contemplating this dizzying height, and of course, he had imagined the height from the beginning and knew beforehand that if he fell, he would die immediately, but imagination is different from reality. When he saw the height with his own eyes, he felt the burden and the real difficulty he would face with this height. The scene was awe-inspiring, terrifying, even the bravest person in the world would feel awe.
Building the Model and Planning the Cable: Return to France
His friend Jim took pictures of every angle of the roof so they could study these pictures later and put together the details of their plan. And after they finished their work on the roof and examined everything, they came down from the tower, and then went and rented a helicopter and flew above the towers again in the air, and took aerial photos that gave them more details and a wider perspective of the rooftops. And after they finished everything, and of course the photos, Philippe returned to France. The photos they took from the air would help him build a three-dimensional model of the towers, and he would use this model to plan the extension of the wire or cable.
Convincing Jean-Louis: Facing Risks and Securing Tools
Then Philippe called his close friend Jean-Louis, who was his partner in all his previous operations, and began trying to convince him of the idea of walking between the towers, and showed him the photos he brought from New York, and started explaining to him that despite being very difficult and complex, he felt it was possible. Of course, Jean-Louis was skeptical and apprehensive about this crazy idea, but Philippe was his dearest friend and he wanted to help him, and he didn't want him to do this crazy adventure alone and die, for example, because the wire wasn't stretched correctly. Jean-Louis knew that Philippe was crazy and would do it anyway, so he told himself, at least I will help my friend. After the heated and likely argument that happened between him and Philippe, he told him, "Okay, I'm with you." Philippe knew they would need a lot of tools and equipment to stretch and extend the wire between the towers, and these tools would be heavy, especially the cable Philippe would walk on. So all these heavy tools had to be put in a box like shipping crates, and they had to find a way to get this box up to the roof of one of the towers.
Observing the Towers: Disguises for Gathering Logistics Information
To figure out this method, Philippe returned to New York less than a month later, this time with the goal of observing all the movements in the towers, especially the movement of goods and shipments entering and exiting them. There were certainly various shipments entering and exiting daily, primarily the furniture that had to fill the towers. So the best way to get their tool box in was to enter it as a shipment belonging to one of the companies. So every morning he would go to the towers and observe them from a distance, watching the movement of workers, people, and guards, and everyone entering the towers to understand the mechanism of work and movement in this place. Philippe also disguised himself in different clothes every day, sometimes as a journalist, sometimes as a tourist, and sometimes as an engineer, and he always had a camera with him to take pictures, and he also had a notebook where he recorded his observations and the times and movements he noticed and saw, and he even drew sketches and plans for different areas of the towers. Philippe's biggest focus was on observing the movement of trucks and cargo entering and exiting, and the companies managing these loads. So he focused on when the trucks arrived, how they entered, how long they stayed inside the tower, and what documents the truck owners gave to the guards. All these details were important for getting the box into the tower.
Disguise as an Engineer: Key to Free Movement within the Towers
One of the most effective disguises that gave Philippe greater freedom of movement was disguised as an architect. With this disguise, he could move around easily among workers and construction sites. But one day, as he was walking, he didn't notice a nail embedded in a piece of wood in front of him, and he stepped on it, suffering a severe injury. From the severity of the injury, he started limping and couldn't walk without crutches. At first, he was annoyed and felt that this injury would hinder his work, but then he discovered that, no, on the contrary, he could use this injury to his advantage. Ordinary people, when they see an injured person walking with crutches, immediately sympathize with him, and even the guards wouldn't ask him anything. So, on the contrary, the crutches gave him greater freedom of movement inside the towers instead of hindering him. The guards themselves started opening doors for him and asking him how they could help him and paving the way for him. No one asked him for his identity or asked him to show his card. On the contrary, they told him to rest and take his time and walk slowly. He even started going up to the top of the towers easily without anyone hindering him or blocking his way. Philippe was able to gather the largest possible amount of information about the towers and the companies working in them, and the exits and entrances, and everything you could think of, using these methods. And he took all this information and returned to Paris again to draw up a comprehensive plan with his friends.
Expanding the Team: Jean-François and the Addition of American Friends
During this period, Philippe's close friend Jean-Louis introduced Philippe to a new person who would join them, named Jean-François (don't confuse him with Jean-Louis). So this Jean-François would later become a key member of the tower infiltration operation. Philippe, through the information he gathered when he was in New York, knew that the distance between the towers was 140 feet, which is approximately 43 meters, meaning this was the distance he would need to stretch the wire. So to simulate the wire and train, he chose an empty field and stretched a wire of the same length (43 meters), and Philippe began to practice walking on this wire. Of course, there would be many factors affecting the wire when they were at the dizzying height of the towers, the most important of which was the wind movement and its intensity. So to simulate this movement, Philippe had his friends shake the wire as hard as they could, and his task was to try to remain balanced. And of course, Philippe was a professional and could easily balance himself on the wire no matter how much they shook it. But of course, as I told you before when he walked over the bridge in Sydney, Australia, no matter how skilled he was, they had to find a way to secure the wire, there had to be anchor points as I explained to you before.
Inventing Horizontal Anchor Points: A New Challenge for High Altitudes
But the problem here is that they are at a high altitude, so where will the anchor points be? There is no ground close to them to secure it on. For example, in the Sydney Bridge, the anchor points were below the bridge on the sides, but above the towers at this high altitude, it is impossible to secure them below. So they had to find an alternative. And the alternative solution was as you can see in this model, they will extend the anchor ropes horizontally and secure them to the surfaces of the towers themselves. This means that the anchor ropes will be at the same level and height as the main rope. Of course, this method was new and somewhat risky, but they did not find a better way. And Philippe was willing to take the risk, he was willing to take any risk to carry out this crazy idea. But the challenges don't end.
Extending the Wire Between the Towers: The Innovative Bow and Arrow Method
One of the main challenges they faced was how they would extend the wire from the first tower to the second tower. At first, they thought of outlandish ideas such as using a small remote-controlled airplane (of course, there were no drones at that time, at least not for public use, but there were radio-controlled airplanes, but these planes were very difficult to fly). There were other ideas, such as tying the wire to a football or a baseball, and they thought of many outlandish ideas. But the idea they finally settled on, which was the most logical, was to use a bow and arrow. Of course, they wouldn't tie the heavy cable to the arrow; instead, they would do it as they did before, which was to first extend a fishing line, and then use the fishing line to extend a rope, and then use the rope to extend a second, larger and stronger rope, and finally extend the cable using the strong rope. So it was ropes going back and forth, that was the basic idea. So they started experimenting with the bow and arrow in the field that was like their training camp. And indeed, the experiments were successful, the bow and arrow achieved the desired result, and the arrow was able to cover the distance between the towers, which is 43 meters. So now they had a clear picture of how to extend and secure the wire and the tools they would need to carry out this operation.
Entry Plan: Disguise as Journalists and Construction Workers
The main point remaining was just how they would get these tools and ropes to the rooftops of the towers without getting caught. As we said, they would put all these tools in a box, but how would they get this box upstairs? The details of the plan to enter and infiltrate the towers caused major disagreements between them, especially between Philippe and his close friend Jean-Louis. Philippe was thinking of taking it by chance and just taking the box and trying to get it upstairs, but Jean-Louis told him it wouldn't work that way, there had to be a well-thought-out plan for these details. So Philippe returned to New York again in May 1974, and this time, with the help of his old friend Mark the Australian and his friend Jim Moore the American photographer, he decided to make a bold move. Philippe called the tower management and asked for a meeting as a French journalist working for one of the most famous construction and architecture magazines in France. So the tower management told him, "Okay, we'll do an interview with you." Philippe also agreed with them to do some interviews with the workers and engineers, especially those working on the roof. And indeed, Philippe went to the towers as a journalist, accompanied by his friends Mark and Jim as photographers, and they brought their cameras and microphones with them. With the permission of the tower management, Philippe and his friends entered the tower and went up and conducted interviews with the workers and engineers as journalists. Philippe, of course, kept asking the workers about the working conditions on the roof, and asked them about the wind intensity and whether the wind ruined their work. All these questions, of course, were in his favor and increased his knowledge of the conditions in that place. Even his photographer friends pretended to be taking pictures of the workers, but in reality, they were trying to take pictures of the different angles of the roof. Of course, they had taken pictures before, but months had passed since then, and several things had changed even on the roof, so the new pictures would help them plan more precisely. These friends of Philippe, Mark the Australian and Jim Moore the American photographer, were not intending to participate with Philippe in the tower infiltration plan, and they made this clear to him from the beginning, because they didn't want any responsibility to fall on them if something went wrong, God forbid. So Philippe needed his French friends Jean-Louis and Jean-François, he needed them to join him and help him with the infiltration operation.
Reunion in New York: Forming the Final Team
So Philippe went back to France again and started trying to encourage his friends to join him in carrying out the operation, but they were hesitant. It took about two months until they put together all the additional details of the plan and until they prepared themselves and their tools and got ready. And once again Philippe returned to New York in August 1974, but this time with his French friends Jean-Louis and Jean-François, and also with Philippe's girlfriend, whose name was Annie. Despite all the details they had researched and put into the plan, they still didn't know how they were going to get their tool box to the roof of the towers. They knew they needed to use a truck and disguise themselves as a shipping or transport company, but they didn't know exactly how they would do it.
The Crucial Coincidence: Berry Green and the Forged ID Card
Philippe decided to continue his reconnaissance tours in the towers and inspect them again. But this time he would be very lucky. When Philippe entered one of the towers, a person saw him and approached him. Philippe was initially afraid that this person was a guard or someone he knew and wanted to kick him out. But after the person approached him, he said, "Brother, you look familiar to me, you're Philippe Petit, right?" So Philippe said, "Yes, that's right, do you know me?" So this person said, "I'm a big fan of yours, I saw your shows before in Paris, and I heard about you when you did the big show over Notre Dame Cathedral, and then the bigger show over the Sydney Bridge, and I'm very, very impressed with your courage and your adventurous spirit." Philippe here got lucky, because this person, whose name was Berry Green, and who was a big fan of his, worked as an employee of a company whose offices were on the 82nd floor of the South Tower. Of the Twin Towers, one of them was called the South Tower, and the other was called the North Tower. Philippe and Berry met in the South Tower. Of course, Berry immediately caught on before Philippe even told him, he said, "You're not thinking of walking between the towers, are you?" So Philippe said, "You got it, that's exactly what I intend to do." So Berry said to him, "You're crazy, brother, this is a completely different level from anything you've done before." Even Berry, who was a big fan of Philippe, couldn't comprehend or believe that he could do it. But after they talked and discussed a little, Philippe convinced Berry to help them. He didn't ask him to help with the operation itself, but he asked for his help in facilitating their ascent to the upper floors, especially since Berry, as we said, worked as an employee of a company located on the 82nd floor, meaning close to the roof. So Berry gave his ID or card to Philippe to use it for entering and exiting the tower. And Philippe was able to copy this card and make himself a professionally forged ID. This card would greatly facilitate his movement; he would be able to go up and down freely, and if he faced one of the guards, the guard would immediately let him pass after seeing the card. Things were getting easier for Philippe little by little, and they got even easier when he found new assistants. Philippe met two men from New York, Americans, meaning these two men had a passion and love for adventure, and they had a little madness like Philippe.
Training and Coordination: Preparing for the Big Infiltration Night
After Philippe met them and decided to include them, he introduced them to his French friends Jean-Louis and Jean-François. But Jean-Louis in particular was never comfortable with them, on the contrary, he was annoyed that Philippe had brought them in without informing him. But Philippe knew that they needed extra help in the infiltration operation, as their number was not enough. Afterwards, Philippe took a few days to train these new members on how to tie ropes, stretch them, and secure them, and he taught them all the details of the plan they had put in place, and made sure that they understood everything perfectly. Among the things he also brought during that period was a wired communication device, meaning it only worked with a wire, not wirelessly, because if they, for example, brought wireless radio devices, their waves would likely interfere with the waves of the wireless devices used by the guards, and they would then be discovered. So they needed a wired communication device that worked with a wire so that no one would hear them. And they would pass this communication device between the two rooftops through the ropes they would extend. So now there were five team members, and the plan was that they would be divided into two groups: one group would infiltrate the South Tower, and one group would infiltrate the North Tower. Philippe, Jean-François, and David the American would infiltrate the South Tower, and their mission was to transport the heavy tool box that would contain most of their tools along with the ropes and cable. The second team was Jean-Louis and Alain the American, and their mission was to infiltrate the North Tower. They would disguise themselves as architects, and they would smuggle the bow and arrow to the top of the tower to extend the fishing line between the two towers. And then they would have cameras to document the moment. Of course, all five members made themselves forged IDs to help them impersonate the characters they needed to impersonate. The first team, Philippe, Jean-François, and David the American, would bring in the tool box through a truck, acting as a shipping and transport company. And Berry Green, who worked in the tower, gave them details to help them get the required documents for the guards to pass through the gates and bring in the box. So all their documents and IDs were in order. And Berry was their secret agent or spy who was helping them from the inside. This plan, in fact, might have been impossible to execute if Philippe hadn't met Berry by chance.
The Great Infiltration Night: Facing Difficulties and Obstacles
Philippe set the date for the grand performance on August 7, 1974. This meant the execution had to take place on the night before, which was August 6. So the two teams moved together after coordinating everything. As we said, the first team, which was Philippe, Jean-François, and David the American, got into the truck, the transport truck, with the heavy box and headed to the South Tower at approximately 4 PM. They managed to pass through the gates after presenting their forged documents and IDs to the guards. When they reached the freight elevator inside the tower, they put the box inside the elevator without anyone suspecting them. The worker who was operating the elevator asked them which floor they wanted to go to. This was a freight elevator, meaning a large elevator designed for heavy items. The original plan was that they would go up to the 82nd floor, because that was the floor where Berry's company was. Even the delivery papers they had, which were even printed on the box itself, said "82nd floor." But when the elevator operator asked them which floor they wanted, Philippe decided to try his luck and take advantage of the opportunity, so he said, "We want the 104th floor." Although, by the way, the 104th floor wasn't even occupied at the time; the highest occupied floor was Berry's company's floor, which was the 82nd floor. But the elevator operator didn't care and took them up to the 104th floor. Of course, it was much easier for them to go up from the 104th floor to the roof than to go up from the 82nd floor to the roof, especially with this heavy box they were carrying, because they had to complete the remaining floors by stairs. So when they reached the 104th floor and took their box off the elevator, the task ahead of them became much easier. At the same time, the second team, Jean-Louis and Alain the American, entered the North Tower. And as we said, they disguised themselves as architects, and they had architects' IDs, and they were carrying large bags, all of which were filled with the tools they would need, and they were also carrying a cylindrical case used to store architectural plans, but in reality, they had placed the bow and arrow inside it. So Jean-Louis and Alain the American were able to enter the North Tower easily and went up to the top floor just before the roof without anyone stopping them or seeing them. And there, they began to prepare their tools and equipment.
Hiding and Challenging: Moments of Danger in the Towers
Back to the first team in the South Tower, who, as we said, reached the 104th floor with their box. This floor was empty, still under construction. Of course, there were a few floors they had to climb to reach the roof, as the tower was 110 floors high. Of course, they wouldn't be able to carry this heavy box and go up the stairs all at once. So the three of them opened the box, intending to take the tools out one by one and carry them to the roof by stairs. But suddenly, before they could even get the tools out, they heard the sound of someone coming from below, most likely a guard, as guards always made inspection rounds, especially on the upper floors. So quickly, they had to find a place to hide. Philippe saw what looked like a cover or a tarp, like the heavy fabric used for tents. So quickly, Philippe lifted this cover and told his friends to hide under it. The first one to go under the cover was Jean-François, but as soon as he entered, he screamed, "Ha!" So Philippe was surprised and said, "Ha ha, what's going on?" This tarp was covering a deep opening underneath it, an elevator shaft that went down to the bottom of the tower, meaning an open shaft downwards. And the only thing they could sit on in the opening was an iron beam fixed along the opening. At this moment, their third friend, David the American, told Philippe, "I'm out, I'm not hiding in a 400-meter deep opening and sitting on a piece of iron." So Philippe tried to calm him down and told him, "No, wait, we'll find a solution." But David told him, "No, no, I'm out," and went to the stairs and went down, leaving Philippe and Jean-François alone. Philippe and Jean had no choice but to hide under this tarp, so they went under the tarp and sat on this iron beam to hide. And indeed, this person was a guard; they could even hear him talking on his walkie-talkie. The two of them held onto the iron beam beneath them, trying to calm themselves down, especially Jean-François, who wasn't used to heights like Philippe. And imagine that they remained in this position, hidden under the tarp, for about three to four hours, because they kept hearing the guard's voice walking around the floor and talking on the walkie-talkie, so they knew they had to remain hidden. At the same time, in the second tower, which is the North Tower, as we said, Jean-Louis and Alain the American were able to reach the top floor just before the roof without problems, without anyone catching them or seeing them. But on this top floor, the same thing happened to them as happened to their friends: they heard the sound of a guard coming towards them, so they quickly went and hid in a corner of the floor where there was equipment and construction work, so they hid among this clutter so that the guard wouldn't see them. Jean-Louis and Alain the American remained hidden for a while; sometimes they would hear the guard's voice, and sometimes the sound would disappear, for example, for 10 minutes and then suddenly return, so they were afraid to come out of their hiding place and be discovered. So they decided to stay where they were.
Jean-Louis's Resilience: Pulling the Heavy Cable After a Partial Collapse
So now both teams in the towers were hidden from the guards. Let's go back to the first team, Philippe and Jean-François, as we said, they remained hidden under the tarp for about three or four hours, these were some of the most difficult moments of waiting they had ever experienced. But finally, after night fell, a period passed without them hearing any sound from any guard, they heard no walking sounds nor talking on the walkie-talkie. So they decided after all this waiting to come out of their hiding place, whatever happens, happens. If the guard wasn't there, thank God, and if the guard was there, then they were already resigned to being arrested, because they were mentally exhausted from waiting. And luckily, when they came out from under the cover, there was no guard on their floor, which was the 104th floor. So now they had to quickly get their tools up to the roof. And there were approximately six floors between them and the roof, meaning they had an exhausting job ahead of them. So they started bringing their tools up piece by piece, each time bringing up a tool until they reached the cable or the steel wire that Philippe would walk on, it was heavy. As they were carrying the cable, after they reached the last floor right before the roof, they were surprised by a guard sitting at a table looking directly at them. Here, both of them froze in place. The guard was sitting and looking directly at them. The guard was sitting at a table, and there was a small lamp next to him illuminating the table, and there was a short distance between him and them. And because the floor and everything was dark, except for the small lamp next to him, the guard simply did not see them. At that moment, Philippe and Jean-François entered a state of astonishment and amazement, not believing what had happened, how they literally passed in front of the guard and he didn't see them. Philippe at that moment felt that luck was smiling upon him and that fortune was on his side, and this gave him a greater moral boost. On the other side, the second team, Jean-Louis and Alain the American, they also came out of the corner they were hiding in after noticing that there were no sounds from the guard or guards who were on the floor. And quickly, they brought their belongings and tools to the roof. And luckily for both teams, anything they would do on the roof, even if they made noise and caused a disturbance, would not be heard from below due to the strong wind and the sound of the wind.
The Crucial Moment: Securing the Cable Before Sunrise
Finally, both teams were on top of the towers around 11 o'clock. Philippe and Jean-François on the South Tower's roof, and Jean-Louis and Alain the American on the North Tower's roof. They had agreed on specific hand signals to communicate with each other until they connected the wired communication device. So Philippe had to give a signal to Jean-Louis on the other side to fire the arrow with the fishing line attached. So Jean-Louis raised the bow and shot the arrow towards Philippe. Philippe ducked at that moment so the arrow wouldn't hit him, even though the arrow didn't have a sharp tip. Philippe thought the arrow would fall next to him and he would hear it hit the ground, but he didn't hear any sound. And when he started looking for the arrow, he couldn't find it anywhere. So at that moment, he feared that the arrow didn't reach and had fallen down. But after he searched more, he found it hanging on the edge of the building, about to fall, so he quickly went and grabbed it. So now they had the fishing line stretched between the two towers. And as I explained to you before, through this line, they would pass a larger rope, and then an even larger rope, and so on. And during these rope extensions they made between the two towers, they transported the wireless communication device inside a bag or sack, and the communication device's wire was also stretched between the two towers. So now they could communicate easily with each other. After that, came the most important and difficult moment, which was extending the cable, the steel wire. Of course, the cable was on Philippe's side. So Philippe tied the cable to the end of the strong rope. Then he communicated with Jean-Louis via the communication device to start pulling the cable. So little by little, Jean-Louis began to pull the cable, and the cable was, of course, heavy steel, and the distance between the towers was not short, so the cable and the rope had to remain taut until they reached the other side. But due to the heavy weight of the steel cable, it slipped from Philippe's end, and in one moment it was heading downwards, descending rapidly, and they were unable to hold it or control it. Fortunately, the cable on Philippe's end was secured to one of the building's steel beams. So the cable kept going down and down until the steel beam it was attached to became taut and secured. So the cable was now dangling and hanging between the two towers. This was a disaster; the cable had fallen, and there was no solution but for Jean-Louis and Alain the American on the other side to try to pull the rope and the cable from their end until the cable was taut. And this task was extremely difficult, because the cable weighed so much. Philippe was feeling helpless, because he couldn't do anything from his end; he had no choice but to rely on his close friend Jean-Louis and put his trust in him. Jean-Louis and Alain the American began the difficult pulling operation. The effort they were exerting was incomparable to the amount of rope they were pulling; they felt like they were exerting all their energy just to pull the rope a very short distance, and they kept pulling for more than an hour, and the cable just wouldn't end. Here, Alain the American decided to withdraw, just like his friend David, he told Jean-Louis: "I'm out, I'm tired and I can't continue, and there's no way we'll finish pulling this cable before dawn breaks." Jean-Louis tried to convince him but to no avail; Alain insisted on withdrawing. Nevertheless, Jean-Louis decided to continue even if he was alone, because he knew that if he gave up here, it would be like betraying his dearest friend. So Jean-Louis kept pulling the cable for hours by himself, and Alain stayed by his side but didn't help him at all. And this reminded us how Jean-Louis had been against the Americans joining the team from the beginning, and now it turned out that he really had foresight. Both Americans withdrew and abandoned them, but Jean-Louis kept going. Finally, after dawn broke, and after long hours of continuous pulling and effort, Jean-Louis managed to pull the cable and tighten it. What Jean-Louis did that night by himself was in itself something extraordinary. Of course, even after the cable reached the other side, the process of tightening the cable itself was not over. They had to tighten the cable and tighten the anchor points and the guy lines, because the anchor points are important so that the cable stays in place and does not move with the wind. The anchor points, of course, were attached to the cable beforehand. Then they extended the guy lines using the smaller ropes they used when they connected between the two towers, and secured them to the ends where they were supposed to be secured from both sides, like the shape we saw in the model before. So now all that was left for them was to tighten all these ropes, tighten the main cable and tighten the guy lines on the sides. This process should not take long, but they did not have time, because the sun was out, and the workers and those who work in the tower could go up to the upper floors and even to the roof at any moment. Finally, they finished tightening the ropes and the cable. This is a real picture of Philippe after they finished, as you can see, his clothes were evidence of the effort and fatigue they went through.
The Historic Performance on the Towers: The Apex of Philippe's Dream
And now, Philippe will face the main task, which is to walk on the wire. And honestly, after all this effort they put in, I don't know which task is harder, the infiltration or the wire walking? Philippe, of course, knew that his clothes would get dirty, and he had brought special clothes to perform in. So he quickly changed his clothes and prepared for the big show. Below the tower, the first people gathered, who were his girlfriend Annie, along with his friends who did not participate in the infiltration operation, such as Berry Green, Mark the Australian, and Jim Moore the photographer. And they were all standing below, looking up at the top of the towers, on pins and needles, waiting for the big moment. And the moment finally came, and Philippe put his foot on the wire and took his first step. This was the moment Philippe had been dreaming of for years; finally, the dream came true. And despite the dizzying height of over 400 meters, Philippe felt no fear at all; on the contrary, his joy encompassed the whole world. These pictures in front of you are real pictures of Philippe on the wire between the towers, a majestic scene, as if a human being was standing between heaven and earth. And he was not wearing a safety rope or safety harness; he was completely against it. Although his friends advised him to, he refused and told them that if he wore a safety rope, the performance would have no value. So Philippe had nothing to help him but the balancing pole he held in his hands. I want you to imagine yourselves in his place, imagine yourselves walking on a wire suspended at this height. Now lower your heads to the ground, and look beneath your feet, imagine the scene, imagine the city beneath you, something majestic, even just to imagine it gives you goosebumps, so what about Philippe's feeling in those moments as he lived this feeling in reality. Of course, people quickly gathered under the tower, and they began to watch this majestic performance, a man walking on a wire between the tallest towers in the world, you will not see a show like this even if you pay millions. So imagine seeing it as you walk in the street. Philippe noticed the crowd gathered below while he was on the wire, and he even heard their voices and cheers, all of them encouraging him and cheering for him. Philippe accomplished the mission, he walked on the wire and reached the roof of the second tower, and there he hugged his friend Jean-Louis and thanked him for his support and belief in his idea and the great help he provided him. And then Philippe decided to cross the wire again. When he saw the crowds gathered, he decided to give them a bigger show. So he went back and walked on the wire again.
Challenging the Police: A Bold Confrontation and Continued Performance
This time he was more confident and performed acrobatic moves like those he did when he walked over Notre Dame Cathedral. He bowed to the audience and greeted them, and the audience below applauded and cheered him. And the more Philippe heard the applause, the more he performed, to the point where he even sat on the wire and lay on it. But here came the party poopers, policemen streamed onto the rooftops of the towers one after another, and immediately began shouting at Philippe and demanding he come down, and even started threatening him. But Philippe ignored them. The police grabbed Philippe's friends who were on the roof, and asked his friend Jean-Louis to call him and speak to him in French and ask him to come down. But Philippe actually understood English, he didn't need a French translation. So he ignored the police, and on the contrary, he even started provoking them. He would go and walk to the edge of the wire, and the police would extend their hands to him to come down, but when he reached them, he would reverse direction and walk on the wire again. He did this move more than once while they were shouting at him. Philippe increased his performance more and more, doing movements and poses on the wire, and sometimes even lying down and contemplating the sky. And then a helicopter came and filmed the scene from above. And Philippe continued in this state, playing with the police, he crossed the wire approximately eight times back and forth, and remained on the wire for 45 minutes. And then he felt tired, so he decided to end the show. So he went to the edge of the wire and threw his pole to the police, and immediately afterward, of course, the police surrounded him and arrested him.
After the Performance: Fame, Recognition, and Philippe's Enduring Dream
The police brought Philippe down from the tower, handcuffed. And of course, the people below were gathered, and with them were the journalists who started trying to reach Philippe and interview him even while he was under arrest. Of course, the police took Philippe to the station, and there the journalists were always asking him: "Why? Why did you do all this?" And Philippe's answer was always that there was no "why," he did this simply because he wanted to do it, this was his personality and his nature that loved adventure and freedom. Of course, the news was big and was published by all newspapers and media outlets in New York, and then it even spread to French and international media, there was no one who didn't hear about the news. The District Attorney in New York knew that the case would cause great controversy if it went to court or if severe penalties were imposed on Philippe. So he made a deal with Philippe, he told him: "We will not impose penalties on you or hold you accountable in exchange for you performing a light acrobatic show for children, and the media will be present and cameras will film you." So Philippe immediately agreed. And when he was released, the same thing, journalists and media were waiting for him in large numbers outside the police station, because the matter caused a great stir and Philippe's fame reached its peak during that period. Even the tower management later brought Philippe back again after the towers were completed, and they allowed him to sign on the side of the South Tower's roof, meaning Philippe's signature would be engraved on the surface of this building. And on top of that, they gave him a permanent entry permit that he could use to go up to the tourist observation deck at the top of the tower. Walking between these two towers was the biggest and most famous performance Philippe ever did in his life, and it was what made his name famous and known internationally. Philippe is still alive today and is currently 75 years old, and he still practices wire walking, the art to which he dedicated his entire life. You can learn more about his life and achievements on Philippe Petit's official website or by visiting his Wikipedia page. For further insights into the World Trade Center and its history, the National September 11 Memorial & Museum provides extensive information. If you're interested in the art of wire walking, you can explore resources on circus arts and training. You can also find details about famous high-wire acts throughout history on websites like Britannica. To delve deeper into the challenges of urban exploration and "building infiltration," various documentaries and articles cover such topics, such as those found on "Man on Wire" (a documentary about Petit). The architectural feats of skyscrapers themselves can be explored through resources like the Council on Tall Buildings and Urban Habitat. For those interested in the psychological aspects of extreme sports and risk-taking, academic journals and books offer insights, for instance, articles found on APA PsycNet. Finally, to understand the legal ramifications of such stunts, legal resources on public order and safety, like those from the American Bar Association, can provide context.
References
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Petit, Philippe. To Reach the Clouds: My High Wire Walk Between the Twin Towers. North Point Press, 2002.
Link to book -
Zemeckis, Robert, director. The Walk. TriStar Pictures, 2015.
IMDb - The Walk (2015) -
Marsh, James, director. Man on Wire. Discovery Films, 2008.
IMDb - Man on Wire (2008)
Watch on Amazon -
The New York Times – “Philippe Petit, the Man Who Walked Between the Towers.”
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Smithsonian Magazine – “Philippe Petit’s Audacious High-Wire Stunt.”