1953 NABBA Mr. Universe Contest
It’s common knowledge that Bill Pearl handily won the 1953 NABBA (National Amateur Body-Builders’ Association) Mr. Universe contest but what most people don’t realize is that also competing in the contest was a young fellow from Scotland by the name of Sean Connery —...
Francois Lancoud
The Swiss Weightlifter and Strongman Francois Lancoud became the second World Weightlifting Champion on October 5th, 1903, at an event held at the Moulin Rouge in Paris, France. Among his winning lifts were a snatch of 231-1/2 lbs. and a clean & jerk of 292 lbs. The...
The Hammer Man’s Hammers
I took this shot a few years back at a special dinner honoring Slim the Hammer Man. That’s Slim’s Challenge Ax on the left followed by his two sledge hammers with their distinctive markings on the handles and chromed weights. They are sitting on Slim’s special oak...
Elliot’s Swing
Heavy supporting feats were popular with many oldtime strongmen and here’s an interesting one performed by British strength athlete Launceston Elliot, around 1908: acting as the support post of a pair or furiously peddling bicycle riders.
Andre LaFeuille, The Piano Man
Over half a century before Billy Joel’s hit tune, the original “Piano Man” was Andre LaFeuille of Paris, France. He was a dock worker who became the toast of the town because of his unique ability to…(wait for it)…lift pianos. On August 27th, 1920, LaFeuille...
Bob Jones
Another look at the inimitable Bob Jones, hopping into his signature ‘thumb-stand’ at a moment’s notice. I can’t find my notes but I believe this was shot at a tv show. I don’t believe anyone has ever duplicated this feat, If I’m wrong, it sure couldn’t have been...
Chas. Buckett, Heavy Club Swinging Champion of New Zealand
On February, 20, 1913, Chas. Buckett, of Christchurch set the New Zealand record for heavy Indian club swinging. He swung for 48 consecutive hours (breaking the previous record of 47 hours set by Tom Burrows.) Buckett proudly wore his Health and Strength League badge...
Vlasov
Yuri Vlasov. This photograph was taken on December 22, 1961 at the Russian championships held in Dnepropetrovsk. Vlasov had a pretty good day, breaking Schemansky’s record in the snatch on a fourth attempt and setting records in the clean and jerk (210 KG) and total...
KAL-LI-THEN-OS Force Clubs
The idea of loadable/adjustable Indian clubs may seem like a modern one, but actually it has been around for a long time. This Ad for the KAL-LI-THEN-OS Force Clubs appeared in the June, 1901 issue of Bernarr MacFadden’s Physical Culture magazine. Ever seen one? These...
Iron Samson’s Wrist Roller
Here’s an interesting one, courtesy of an extremely rare course by ‘The Iron Samson’ Alexander Zass. Many people like to do their wrist roller training standing straight up, which is certainly effective, but using the wrist roller from a crouched position is a good...
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