Story: Inventions, patents and trademarks

A. J. Hackett's bungy jump from the Eiffel Tower

Bungy jumping was almost unknown outside New Zealand until 1987 when its inventor, A. J. Hackett, made this illegal jump from the Eiffel Tower in Paris. Hackett's invention was a modern version of a sport practised by the Pentecost Islanders of Vanuatu, who dive from high wooden platforms with vines tied to their ankles.

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AJ Hackett Bungy New Zealand

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How to cite this page:

Mark Derby, 'Inventions, patents and trademarks - The ‘no. 8 wire’ tradition', Te Ara - the Encyclopedia of New Zealand, http://www.TeAra.govt.nz/en/video/25390/a-j-hacketts-bungy-jump-from-the-eiffel-tower (accessed 25 April 2024)

Story by Mark Derby, published 11 Mar 2010, updated 1 Feb 2015