Thursday, September 17, 2009
John Holtum, The Cannonball KingJohn Holtum was aptly known as "The Cannonball King" from his act where he actually did catch a cannon ball fired from a real cannon. This took a bit of practice though, he had a few fingers blown off the first few times he tried it. In addition to his cannonball catching feat, his performance also consisted of various strength feats which involved either lifting or juggling cannon balls.
Labels: Cannon, Cannonball, Cannonball King, Feats of Strength, John Holtum, Performing Strongman, Unusual Strength
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Tuesday, July 07, 2009
The Amazing SamsonHuman cannon acts have long been a feature attraction with circuses. Only Alexander Zass, known as 'The Amazing Samson', performed a version of this dramatic center ring spectacle that has never been duplicated. This European strongman star executed the cannon act so that his agile brawn replaced the net in catching his partner as she was catapulted across the arena.
Labels: Alexander Zass, Amazing Samson, Cannon, Circus, Circus Act, Circus Strongman
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Wednesday, June 17, 2009
Ernest Cadine ~ Dumbbell SwingIn this classic photo it's not hard to see why the great French weightlifter Ernest Cadine was so formidable. He got this 150 pound dumbbell overhead by way of the "swing". This picture was probably taken at Le Gaulois' place.
Labels: Cannon, Dumbbell Swing, Ernest Cadine, French Strongman, French Weightlifter, Globe Barbell, Globe Dumbbell, Noel Le Gaulois, Oldtime Strength Equipment, Swing
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Wednesday, June 10, 2009
Felice NapoliOne of the earliest of the Oldtime Strongmen, Felice Napoli of Italy was performing incredible feats of strength in Wallshlager's Circus in the 1850's. Napoli dressed as the mythical Hercules as he performed and certainly lived up to it: Napoli's act consisted of his having a cannon shot off while held on his shoulders, bending iron bars, lifting heavy weights while hanging upside down from a trapeze, The Tomb of Hercules, and performing feats while hanging on a vertically suspended rope, a type of feat known as "The Spanish Web'. Plus, he had an excellent goatee.
Labels: Bar Bending, Cannon, Circus Strongman, Felice Napoli, Hercules, Italian Strongman, Oldtime Strongman, The Spanish Web, The Tomb of Hercules
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Tuesday, February 17, 2009
Cannon Lifting!If it's heavy, you can bet some oldtime strongman has tried to lift it in a unique manner. As this Strongman demonstrates, here's one way to lift a cannon: with your teeth!
Labels: Cannon, Cannon Lifting, Feats of Strength, Jaw Lifting, Jaw Strength, Neck Strength, Odd Object Lifting, Teeth Lifting
www.oldtimestrongman.com
All Contents, Including Images and Text, Copyright © 2010 by John Wood and Thunderdome Media Inc., Not to be reproduced without permission, All Rights Reserved
Thursday, December 18, 2008
| Another great shot of the champion French Weight lifter Ernest Cadine at the conclusion of a heavy one-arm snatch. Even though the quality of this old picture is not perfect, Cadine's incredible muscle density is evident. It's not hard to see why he won the gold medal at the 1920 Olympic Games, likely around the same time this picture was taken. Note the cannon on the wall behind him. Yes, it was used specifically for lifting purposes. |  Ernest Cadine |
Labels: 1920 Olympics, Cannon, Ernest Cadine, French Strongman, French Weightlifter, Globe Barbell, Gold Medal, one arm snatch
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All Contents, Including Images and Text, Copyright © 2010 by John Wood and Thunderdome Media Inc., Not to be reproduced without permission, All Rights Reserved
Monday, April 07, 2008
 Warren Lincoln Travis | You aren't a real Oldtime Strongman until you lift a Cannon... The great Warren Lincoln Travis shows he's still got it as an old man, Harness Lifting a Cannon and a Globe Barbell - combined weight: over 1500 pounds. |
Labels: Cannon, Cannon Lifting, Harness Lift, Oldtime Strongman Feat, Supporting Feat, Warren Lincoln Travis
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Saturday, September 22, 2007
Frank "Cannonball" Richards"Frank "Cannonball" Richards isn't a household name but chances are you have seen him before...
You may have seen his picture on the cover of the Van Halen "III" CD, or you may have caught him spoofed in an episode of The Simpons, or maybe you have even seen the famous footage as it has been used in several commercials over the years, either way he will go down in history as the man with the world's hardest stomach.
He began by simply letting folks punch him in the stomach (including Jack Dempsey and "Red" Buman, pictured above)and it hardly had an effect. From there they went to breaking boards over his gut, full-out blows with a sledge hammer and finally he allowed a cannon to shoot him dead-center in the stomach.
Despite engineers estimating the impact of the 104 lb. cannon ball on his stomach at 5000 lbs. of force, it, nor any of the other blows had any effect.
Strength feat or act of lunacy?
You be the judge, either way it is impressive.
Labels: Cannon, Cannon Ball Richards, Strongman Feat
www.oldtimestrongman.com
All Contents, Including Images and Text, Copyright © 2010 by John Wood and Thunderdome Media Inc., Not to be reproduced without permission, All Rights Reserved
Saturday, July 07, 2007
| Henri Toch was a French strongman in the late 1800's who was billed as "L'Homme Canon" or "The Cannon Man." It was with pretty good reason, his unique performance included the incredible strength feat of holding 365 Kilogram Cannon on his shoulders while it fired. |  - Henri Toch - "The Cannon Man" |
Labels: Cannon, Cannon Lifting, Cannon Man, French Strongman, Henri Toch, Odd Object Lifting, Oldtime Strongman, Oldtime Strongman Feat, Performing Strongman, Strongman Feat
www.oldtimestrongman.com
All Contents, Including Images and Text, Copyright © 2010 by John Wood and Thunderdome Media Inc., Not to be reproduced without permission, All Rights Reserved
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