Have you ever wondered how bungee jumping started? Before writing this article, I didn’t even know about its connection to the UK. If you had to hazard a guess, what other materials do you think could be used to create a bungee cord?

• Bungee jumping is a sport invented in the UK by the Oxford University Dangerous Sports Club. Despite its name, the club was formed of a group of amateur sportsmen who were in fact engineers. They pioneered other sports such as Zorbing, Microlight flying and BASE jumping.

• The first bungee jump took place in April 1979 from the Clifton Suspension bridge in Bristol. It was considered so dangerous that the members of the Oxford University Dangerous Sports Club who took part in the jump were arrested. Undeterred, the team continued honing their crafts and jumping in the US. Bungee jumping has since been adopted worldwide with people jumping off cranes, buildings, bridges and sights like the “Eiffel Tower”.

• Bungee jumping is actually safer than you would think. Bungee operators have to adhere to strict guidelines and standards to provide a safe and exciting experience to participants. The most common cause of accidents is using a cord that is too long.

• In April 2008, Carl Mosca Dionisio jumped off a 100 ft tower attached to a bungee cord made entirely of 18,500 condoms.