When the first caveman bet his friend that he could outrun a sabre-toothed tiger, the legend of the daredevil was born. From there, it evolved through the ages, from sword swallowers to snake charmers, from X-Games gold medalists to professional BASE jumpers: every culture and time period had some kind of daredevil. These people regularly defy death to bring entertainment to dozens of people and, hopefully, a little glory and sustenance for themselves. In America in the 60s and 70s, the greatest of them all was Evel Knievel. When Robert Craig Knievel was born in the small mining town of Butte, Montana, the world was very different than it is today. During Knievel's childhood, the nation was enchanted by what became known as the "Roaring '50s." World War II had just ended and it seemed like almost every facet of America and the rest of the world was thriving. But in the small town of Butte, all this had little or no effect on young Knievel. He was raised in a culture where most people's mental disposition was "work hard, play harder" (Montville). This mentality that Knievel grew up with was evident in many of his ventures later in life. Additionally, the world began a form of cultural insurrection in the 1960s, as boom-time children began to grow up ("Boom-Time..."). People began to question and challenge political and social norms that had been in place for many years. This decade saw the rise of the individual towards social hegemony, as people began to become more outspoken in their beliefs and lifestyle. This is the culture that formed Evel Knievel. As told by Evel: The High Flying Life of Evel Knievel, written by Leigh Montville, Evel was both a showman, ...... middle of paper ...... and his tenacity when he was about accomplishing what he wanted. Knievel's success has also helped him help the nation as a whole, by educating our youth about the dangers of drugs and alcohol and keeping a strong moral code. Despite his countless accidents and injuries, Knievel never stayed down. He got up, got on his bike and tried again. A quote from Knievel himself says it best: “All my life, people have been waiting to see me die. But I'm still here. I definitely think there is an afterlife and this is just a testing ground. Years ago, I was just a jumble. I defied death. And I still do it -- only from a bed instead of a bike. There is simply no way to stop me. I went through life bing-bang-bada. -boom-bada-boom. Now this is just bing, but I'm still Evel Knievel, I am. There's nothing you can do to stop me" (Brinkley.).