On this day: David Blaine leaves his perspex box after 44 days

Blaine, whose Russian Jewish mother died of cancer when he was 19, has said he only feels alive when he is near to death. He survived six weeks suspended above the Thames, and as he left his glass cage in 2003, he cried: “This has been one of the most importance experiences of my life.”

More than a quarter of a million Londoners went to see the New York born “endurance specialist” in his time above the water. A few threw golf balls, paint, eggs and even tried to cut off his water supply.

He had been in the box since September 5. When he left he was quite literally a shadow of his former self – having lost 25 per cent of his body weight from going without food for weeks. He managed to walk out but, suffering from heart palpitations, blurred vision and breathing difficulties, he was then taken to hospital for an intravenous dose of vitamin-enriched fluid.

During his career Blaine has undertaken a number of crazy tasks, spending more than 60 hours in a block of ice and standing atop a 100 foot high pole for 35 hours. He declined to sleep for 11 days, and he also held his breath for 17 minutes and four seconds, beating the previous mark by 30 seconds – on the Oprah Winfrey Show.