August 7, 1974, New York, New York, USA: Philippe Petit, a young frenchman, gave the most spectacular high-wire performance of all time by transversing the span between Towers I and II of the WTC eight times in one hour. Mr. Petit and his team had illegally rigged their cable under the cover of night and he was arrested by the Port Authorities and charged with "attempt(ing) to cause public inconvenience," and trespassing.. Credit: Jean-Louis Blondeau / Polaris