Kitty O’Neil in a racecar made by Ky Michaelson. Image credit: Ky Michaelson.
Kitty O’Neil is born. She loses her hearing as a child after a combination of childhood illnesses. Her mother teaches her to lip-read rather than use sign language.
At the age of 12, O’Neil joins a swim team.
O’Neil trains with diving coach Sammy Lee, the first Asian American man to win an Olympic gold medal for the United States.
Before the trials for the Olympics, O’Neil breaks her wrist and contracts spinal meningitis, ending her diving career abruptly.
O’Neil takes up racing on water — setting the official women's water ski speed record, 104.85 mph — and on land, racing motorcycles and automobiles.
She enters stunt work, training with Hal Needham, Duffy Hambleton and Dar Robinson.
O’Neil becomes one of the first women to perform with Stunts Unlimited, the leading stunt agency in Hollywood.
O'Neil sets the land-speed record for female drivers. Driving in a three-wheeled rocket car called the SMI Motivator, she clocks an average of 512.71 mph. The record stood until 2019 when it was broken by “Mythbuster” Jessi Combs who, sadly, died in the attempt.
O'Neil sets the women's record for speed on water of 275 mph.
In the Mojave Desert, O'Neil pilots a rocket dragster with an average speed of 279.5 mph. According to National Hot Rod Association rules, since the run was not repeated, it is not recognized as an official drag racing record.
Mattel releases a Barbie doll action figure of Kitty O’Neil.
While filming an episode of “Wonder Woman,” O’Neil is hired to perform a stunt of high difficulty while stepping in for Jeannie Epper, Lynda Carter's usual stunt double. O’Neil’s stunt establishes a new high-fall record when she takes a 127-foot (12 stories) plunge from the Valley Hilton rooftop in Sherman Oaks, CA into an inflatable air bag.
O'Neil's experiences serve as the basis for a biographical movie, “Silent Victory: The Kitty O'Neil Story.”
Kitty O'Neil dies at age 72.
The 2019 Oscars In Memoriam segment includes a tribute to O'Neil.
