Human cannonball

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Stephanie smith, Human Cannonball at the Royal Melbourne Show, 2005

For the School of Fish album, see Human Cannonball (album).

The human cannonball is a circus act in which an individual is launched into the air by a powerful spring or compressed air. Human cannonballs have reached speeds up to 60 miles per hour. The human cannonball will land on a horizontal net, the placement of which is determined by classical mechanics.

The sound and smoke of the shot may actually be produced by an explosion (of a gunpowder or other charge), but this is separate from the launching of the person, and purely for effect.

According to the documentary Human Cannonball by The Discovery Channel, it is estimated that of the 52 humans who have attempted this, 30 have died.

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