Siegmund Breitbart: The Iron King

Siegmund Breitbart

In the early part of the 20th Century, Siegmund Breitbart was one of the most well-nown strongmen the world had ever seen and stories of his great strength graced newspapers all across the country. He bent steel bars, drove nails with his hands, supported automobiles, twisted horse shoes, pulled wagons with his teeth and even bit through chains! Breitbart was from a family of blacksmiths and was known professionally as "The Iron King" -- like many strongmen of the period, he also had his own mail-order training course. He would probably have ended up a household name had he not tragically passed away from blood poisoning at the age of 42.

The movie "Invincible," (2001) directed by Werner Herzog, was loosely based on his life.

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