Ildebrando Zacchini

Who was Ildebrando Zacchini?

Ildebrando Zacchini was a painter, inventor, and travelling circus owner.

Inspired by the works of Jules Verne, Zacchini came up with an idea for a human cannonball act. Instead of explosives, Zacchini's human-firing cannon used compressed air, and he first tested it on his son Hugo Zacchini.

The idea for the cannonball act was initially proposed to the Italian government as a military maneuver to be used in conjunction with parachutes; when the proposal was rejected Zacchini looked to use the technique as part of an entertainment act.

Members of the Zacchini family were later inducted into the Ringling Brothers Circus Hall of Fame.