Hugo Zacchini

Background

His father Ildebrando Zacchini invented the compressed-air cannon used to propel humans in circus acts. He was born on October 20, 1898 in Santa Ana Peru to Maddelen and Ildebrando Zacchini.

Education

University of Florida.

Career

He was known for being a daredevil and a painter. He held two engineering degrees from the University of Florida. The Zacchini family was originally from Italy, and has performed in various circuses for several generations.

Ildebrando Zacchini"s circus was touring Peru at the time of Hugo"s birth.

Hugo grew up on his father"s circus, where he learned to perform juggling, trapeze and other circus acts. The cannon act was first performed publicly, on the Zacchini Circus while performing in Egypt.

In 1928 while Hugo was performing his cannon act in Copenhagen, Denmark, he was discovered by circus owner John Ringling who offered Zacchini a contract with the Ringling Brothers and Barnum & Bailey Circus. Zacchini was involved with a lawsuit that made it before the United States. Supreme Court, Zacchini v.

Zacchini sued Scripps-Howard, the owner of an Ohio television station, when it filmed, and then broadcast Zacchini"s entire act of being shot out of a cannon at the Geauga County Fair in Burton, Ohio.

The United States Supreme Court sided with Zacchini, ruling 5 to 4 that his personality rights overrode the First Amendment rights in this case where the entire act was shown on television in violation of his common law copyright. Zacchini studied art at the Rome Arts Academy in Italy and received a Master"s in Art degree from Jamestown Academy in Jamestown, New New York Hugo Zacchini died on October 20, 1975 in San Bernardino, California.

Achievements

• Scripps-Howard Broadcasting Company, a case which he ultimately won in 1977. Although best known as the "human cannonball", Zacchini was also an accomplished artist.