The Kennedy Lift

The Kennedy Lift
Back in 1890, Richard K. Fox, the publisher and founder of The Police Gazette held a competition to determine the strongest man in America with the prize being this belt.

Fox's challenge was to lift an unusual weight that he devised - a huge block of metal, 24-inches square, weighing in at 1030 pounds, with two handles sunk into the top. The challenge was to lift this weight clear of the floor with the hands alone.

On the day of the contest over a dozen strongmen arrived to test their strength. None lifted the weight, save J.W. Kennedy of Quincy, Illinois, who straddled the weight and grasped a handle in front and behind.

Thus, that lift became forever known as "The Kennedy Lift."

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