You know those YouTube videos of the crazy Russians dangling from skyscrapers in China?

How about the urban outlaws who train surf with their cameras rolling?

Do today's daredevils, stars of Instagram and YouTube, have anything in common with the original master of the high-stakes spectacle, Philippe Petit? After all, what could be more subversive and outrageous than walking on a tightrope between the two World Trade Center towers during rush hour on a Tuesday morning in 1974?

Masters of spectacle, past and present: What drives them?

We asked and here's what we found out.

Produced by Josh Wolff. Cinematography by Sam Rega, Andrew Stern and David Fang.

Executive Produced by Diane Galligan.

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