Felix Baumgartner breaks sound barrier, YouTube live video record (VIDEO)
Felix Baumgartner of Austria jumps out of a capsule during the final manned flight for Red Bull Stratos on Oct. 14, 2012, in space. Baumgartner broke the world record for the highest free fall in history after making a 23-mile ascent in the capsule attached to a massive balloon.
More than eight million people watched Austrian jumper Felix Baumgartner's now-famous free fall to Earth from the edge of space on Sunday, making it the most-watched live video in the website's history, the BBC reported.
That made Sunday a day of records for both Baumgartner and YouTube, which is owned by Google.
More from GlobalPost: Red Bull's Felix Baumgartner breaks sound barrier with free-fall jump (VIDEO)
"Following five years of preparations and a two-hour livestream on YouTube, Felix and this mission now hold the world records for: Highest jump from a platform: 128,100 feet; Longest distance freefall: 119,846 feet; Maximum vertical velocity: 833.9 mph (Mach 1.24)," the company wrote on its official blog.
It added, "We congratulate Felix Baumgartner and the entire Red Bull Stratos team for their successful mission, and for creating a livestream with the most concurrent views ever on YouTube."
The space-based skydive was sponsored by Red Bull, but was only the latest in Baumgartner's list of daredevil accomplishments, which includes a "freefall flight" across the English Channel.
Despite the audacity of his feat, Baumgartner told reporters that he was humbled by the experience of the jump. "When you are standing there at the top of the world, you become so humble. You don't think about records anymore," he said, adding that he was mostly concerned with staying "alive."
Watch the moment Baumgartner made history below:
The story you just read is available for free because thousands of listeners and readers like you generously support our nonprofit newsroom. Every day, reporters and producers at The World are hard at work bringing you human-centered news from across the globe. But we can’t do it without you: We need your support to ensure we can continue this work for another year.
Make a gift today, and you’ll get us one step closer to our goal of raising $25,000 by June 14. We need your help now more than ever!