resting_place death_place death_date birth_place birth_date known_for article_title name
myrtle hill memorial park , tampa tampa , florida july 17 , 1948 malta 1868 human cannonball act ildebrando zacchini
 ildebrando zacchini
ildebrando zacchini

ildebrando zacchini -lrb- 1868 - july 17 , 1948 , tampa , florida -rrb- was a painter , inventor , and travelling circus owner .
inspired by the works of jules verne , zacchini came up with an idea for a human cannonball act .
instead of explosives , zacchini 's human-firing cannon used compressed air , and he first tested it on his son hugo zacchini .
the idea for the cannonball act was initially proposed to the italian government as a military maneuver to be used in conjunction with parachutes ; when the proposal was rejected zacchini looked to use the technique as part of an entertainment act .
members of the zacchini family were later inducted into the ringling brothers circus hall of fame .
