Annie Edson Taylor ( October 24 , 1838 â `` April 29 , 1921 ) was an American school-teacher and adventurer . She was the first person to go over Niagara Falls in a barrel without dying . Annie Edson Taylor ( October 24 , 1838 â `` April 29 , 1921 ) was an American adventurer who became the first person to survive a trip over Niagara Falls in a barrel on her 63rd birthday , October 24 , 1901 .