Sword Swallower Dan Meyer

The 4th Annual World Sword Swallower’s Day was Saturday, February 27, 2010. As President of the Sword Swallower’s Association International, I had requested sword swallowers around the world to help us celebrate by swallowing a sword at their local Ripley’s Believe It or Not museum.

The results?

We had 22 sword swallowers from around the world (18 men and 4 women) swallow a total of 84 swords at 10 Ripley’s Believe It or Not museums worldwide - a total of over 1658.5 inches of swords or 138.21 feet of steel! Believe It or NOT!

For my part on Saturday, I got to perform at the Ripley’s Believe It or Not Museum in Dallas (Grand Prairie), TX, where I swallowed the giant straight razor, the hedge clippers, and 7 swords at once! I even donated one of my favorite swords to their museum, making this the 5th Ripley’s Museum I have performed at that also has a display on me! What an honor! A special treat was to have my friend Paul Salos, the Frank Sinatra impersonator who made through to the finals in America’s Got Talent, come make an appearance, sing a few Sinatra songs, and pull a sword from my throat! Here’s a video from the
Dallas Morning News

The press we got was incredible! We made it on NPR, CBS News, CBS Morning Show, MSNBC News, and we were featured on the front page of AOL News, and on hundreds of radio stations and TV programs! Here’s a national interview I did with CBS News Correspondent Sam Litzinger

Tomorrow morning I will be swallowing a sword live on the Bob and Tom Show at 9:25am ET / 8:25am CST! If you get a chance, listen in!

Next week I’m off to the finals of a talent contest in Branson, MO and from there on to London and the Ig Nobel Tour of the UK, including Scotland, and from there, on to a major TV appearance in Rome, Italy! I’ve gotta say - I LOVE MY WORK!

Thanks for keeping in touch! Stay tuned for more over the next few weeks!

Dan

100 Feet of Steel to be Swallowed at Ripley’s Believe It or Not! Museums Worldwide

HARTSELLE, AL – Imagine sliding a steel sword down your throat! Now imagine 25 sword swallowers swallowing over 100 feet of solid steel down their throats! That’s just one of many unbelievable sword swallowing stunts in the works for the 4th Annual World Sword Swallowers Day at Ripley’s Believe It or Not! locations worldwide on February 27, 2010!

Sword Swallowers Association International (SSAI) President Dan Meyer proclaimed the 4th annual “World Sword Swallower’s Day” for the last Saturday in February, “National Swallowing Disorders Month”, with stunts occuring throughout the month culminating with World Sword Swallower’s Day on February 27. World Sword Swallower’s Day is co-sponsored by Ripley Entertainment, who with SSAI, is inviting sword swallowers around the world to put on incredible sword swallowing demonstrations at Ripley’s Believe It or Not! locations worldwide.

Dan Swallows a RED-HOT SWORD for the The History Channel

Dan just filmed an episode for The History Channel - The documentary is tentatively to be titled “The Most Amazing SuperHumans on the Planet” and features host Daniel Browning Smith, one of the top contortionists in the world!

The first segment was filmed at Vanderbilt Medical Center in Nashville, TN where Dan underwent some medical tests including several fluoroscopes (moving x-rays) so the doctors could see Dan swallow straight swords, a large forceps, a serpentine sword, a curved sword, and a stack of 7 swords at once! Big thanks to Dr. Edwin Donnelly at Vanderbilt, and Dr. Eric Mashburn of Hartselle!

The final segment of the episode was filmed on the farm in Hartselle where Blacksmith Ben Robbins finishes making a large 37 inch sword, and then heats it to RED-HOT over 1500 degrees Fahrenheit before lowering it down into Dan’s gullet!

Here are some behind-the-scenes shots filmed by my friend Josh Pittman:

Special thanks to Ben Robbins, Josh Pittman, Dr. Mashburn, Dr. Donnelly and everyone else involved! The documentary is tentatively scheduled to air all 32 episodes worldwide starting in February 2011. We’ll keep you posted on details when it airs in 2011!

Wow! What an interesting week! We’ve been notified that new records were recognized by TWO different world record organizations this week, and two of them are being released in a new book!

URDB Recognizes 2 Records

URDB Record: Most Nobel Laureates to Remove a Sword

URDB Record: Underwater Sword Swallow in Sharktank

RHR Recognizes 2 Records

RHR Record: Most Sword Swallowers Swallowing Swords Simultaneously

RHR Record: Underwater Sword Swallow in Sharktank

And these new records are in addition to the three Guinness World Records, the Ripley’s Believe It or Not!, and the Ig Nobel Prize in Medicine that Dan already holds!

Here’s video of the 2009 Ig Nobel Awards Record:

And we’ve got even MORE fun new records in the works that we hope to be able to reveal to you in the next few weeks!… Stay tuned for developments!

Dan is now recognized for two new sword swallowing World Records with RHR Record Holders Republic Registry of Official World Records:

Click here to listen to Ripley Radio Oddcast

WHY WOULD SOMEONE SWALLOW A SWORD?

Dan explains why, and what his MOTHER thinks about it, on another Ripley’s Believe It or Not Oddcast on Ripley Radio:

And if you haven’t heard it yet, check out Ripley Radio Oddcast Episode 4 from September: