Flying is cool. Many superheroes have the ability, some by the mere use of their bodies. A few need a little help from amazing gadgets, a surfboard, or a motorcycle with a strong engine and enough take off room to clear animals, double-decker buses, or a canyon.

Robert Knievel, born October 17, 1938 in Butte, Montana, found his calling at age eight. After seeing Joey Chitwood’s Auto Daredevil Show, he became mesmerized by stunts, jumps, and motorcycles. Sporting an Elvis-as-bad-boy look and an American flag suit, it didn’t take long for Evel Knievel to enthrall America.

Knievel, who earned his nickname from his many youthful transgressions, dropped out of high school during his sophomore year. Upon leaving school, he worked as a diamond drill operator for the Anaconda Mining Company. He was fired, though, when he popped a motorcycle-style wheelie with an earth mover and accidentally drove it into a main power line, cutting electricity to Butte for hours.

Before becoming the motorcycle daredevil, he followed more philanthropic pursuits. At age 23, he took up the cause for elk being killed in vast numbers in Yellowstone Park. Knievel hitchhiked to Washington, DC and met with political bigwigs, including Representative Arnold Olsen and Senator Mike Mansfield, requesting that the elk be moved. As a result, the U.S. government transported the elk into areas of Wyoming, Montana, and Idaho. 

His career began in 1965 when he formed the group Bobby Knievel’s Motorcycle Daredevils. Bob Blair, his sponsor, wanted the name changed to Evil Knievel’s Motorcycle Daredevils, but Knievel himself did not want the image of a Hell’s Angels rider, leading to the compromise of changing Evil to Evel. The group started out by riding through fire walls and jumping over a 20-foot long box of live rattlesnakes or two mountain lions. 

Knievel began touring solo in 1966. In an effort to beat the competition from other motorcycle riders, he began jumping cars, rather than just animals or pools of water. His jumps became longer and longer and on New Year’s Day in 1968 he jumped 151 feet across the fountains in front of Caesar’s Palace in Las Vegas. He cleared the fountain, but his landing caused injuries that involved a 30-day coma. Rather than succumb to fear, Knievel spent his recovery planning to jump the Grand Canyon. 

However, three years later, he accepted that the U.S. government would not allow him to make that jump. In the hope of creating an equally daring, albeit crazy, stunt he decided to jump the Snake River Canyon. He hired NASA engineer Robert Truax to design and construct the X-2 Skycycle. Though the Skycycle failed two test jumps, Knievel was determined to make the scheduled jump. 

In 1976, he was seriously injured during a televised performance. He attempted to jump a tank full of live sharks in the Chicago Ampitheater, resulting in a brain concussion, two broken arms, and the loss of a cameraman’s eye. Following this accident, he decided to retire from major performances, choosing instead to travel with his son Robbie, promoting him as the next great daredevil.

Over the next three decades, Knievel remained in the public eye. He appeared in movies, on talk shows, and was inducted into the Motorcycle Hall of Fame. Knievel also got into a fair bit of trouble during that time period, then denounced his old lifestyle, becoming a Christian in April 2007. He died seven months later in November 2007.

Given his fearless attitude and all-American spirit, he became a national icon. Patriotic colors filled store shelves with Knievel toys, comic books, bicycles, watches, radios, and lunch boxes. In Hake’s Americana and Collectibles’ current auction, they are selling seven Evel Knievel collectibles. They are offering a factory sealed boxed Ideal Evel Knievel stunt cycle, chooper, and canyon rig truck set. Hake’s is selling a stunt stadium boxed playset, sky cycle factory sealed boxed model kit pair, precision miniatures boxed Ideal replica lot, and Topps 1974 near full gum card display box.

Hake’s Auction #216 closes on November 10-12, 2015 and is now open for bidding. Check out these and thousands of other collectibles at hakes.com.