Evel Knievel was an American stuntman who became famous for his daring and death-defying motorcycle jumps. He was born Robert Craig Knievel in 1938 and changed his name to Evel in 1966. He attempted more than 75 ramp-to-ramp motorcycle jumps between 1965 and 1980, and in 1974 he attempted to jump across Snake River Canyon in Idaho. Although the jump failed, it made him an international celebrity. He died in 2007 at the age of 69.