Steve Brodie (bridge jumper)

Steve Brodie (December 25, 1861 – January 31, 1901) was an American from Manhattan, New York City, who claimed to have jumped off the Brooklyn Bridge on July 23, 1886, and survived. The supposed jump, of which the veracity was disputed, gave Brodie publicity, a thriving saloon and a career as a performer. Prior to this, he was penniless, having lost significant sums of money on betting and race tracks.

Brodie's fame persisted long past his death, with Brodie portrayed in films and with the slang term "Brodie"—as in to "do a Brodie"—entering American vernacular, meaning to take a chance or a leap, specifically a suicidal one.

During the 1890s, Brodie was compared to one of the best British champion divers and bridge jumpers of the era, Tommy Burns.