William Leonard Hunt (June 10, 1838 - January 17, 1929) was a Canadian funambulist, entertainment promoter and inventor, as well as the first known white man to cross the Kalahari Desert on foot and survive. He made his most famous tightrope performances at Niagara Falls during 1860, commencing on August 15. His feats included crossing a high wire with a man on his back or with a sack over his entire body, turning somersaults while on the rope, and hanging from it by his feet. He toured the US in 1860 and returned to Niagara Falls the next year, but the American Civil War had put an end to the crowds he had once drawn. In 1866, he was performing in London as part of the "Flying Farinis". He quickly became a legend, and was one of the most celebrated acrobats and trapeze artists in Europe. He ended his acrobatic career in 1869, fearing that if he continued he would eventually be seriously injured. He remained in show business, becoming a trainer and manager of acrobats, as well as an inventor. Circus historians credit him with the invention of an apparatus that eventually became known as the now famous "human cannonball" in 1876. He died of influenza in 1929 at the age of 90.