Remembering When a Dude Flew Under the Eiffel Tower Just For the Hell of It

Believe it or not, the French weren’t happy about it!

In 1984, a 37-year-old man named Robert J. Moriarty decided on a whim that he was going to fly under the Eiffel Tower.

The story behind the wild stunt goes like this: Originally, Moriarty was part of a Paris-to-Libreville air race. However, an engine failure near Portugal grounded him. After he did some quick repairs, he realized that the lost time would spell an end to his chances at the race — but, knowing that he’d likely garner more attention for a big stunt anyway, he decided to turn his attention to the Eiffel Tower.

In the end, he flew straight underneath it, capturing the whole thing on video (this was before 9/11, so flying a plane near a major landmark didn’t cause people to freak out as much as they would now).

When interviewed about why he did it, he stated that it was “just for fun.” Kudos, man.