Strong Hair Archives - www.oldtimestrongman.com

Professor Anthony Barker

Posted on Wednesday, December 27th, 2017 by John Wood

Professor Anthony Barker was a great Oldtime Strongman in the New York Area in the late 1800’s and early 1900’s. He was also very proud of his fine head of hair – hair pulling or lifting was a favorite method of several oldtime strongmen for demonstrating strength and they could withstand quite a pull with no ill effects. As a side note, Barker lived to 106 years of age!

The Mighty Atom’s Hair

Posted on Wednesday, October 16th, 2013 by John Wood

The Mighty Atom's Hair

“Strongmen” are so named based on the strength of their muscles, or at least that’s how it is in most cases. The Mighty Atom Joseph Greenstein was certainly quite strong from a muscular standpoint but he also had unusually strong hair. With the aid of a strong comb, The Mighty Atom could pull vehicles with his hair, and, as shown above, even use it to bend steel bars.

The Mighty Atom ~ The World’s Strongest Haired Man

Posted on Friday, June 14th, 2013 by John Wood

The World's Strongest Haired Man

Among The Mighty Atom’s many strength specialties was the ability to pull vehicles with his hair. The Atom had previously pulled cars and trucks but he upped the ante in 1934 at the Newark, New Jersey airport when he towed this United Air Lines passenger plane by a clip in his shaggy mane.

The Great Antonio

Posted on Monday, June 3rd, 2013 by John Wood

The Great Antonio

One of the more colorful Canadian Strongmen was “The Great Antonio” who lived most of his life in Montreal. Antonio was known to pull several city buses at once, sometimes with his hair and could lift a truck. The photo above is unfortunately cropped, otherwise you’d be able to see the other dozen or so people that Antonio is supporting hanging on the telephone pole on his shoulder.

Antonio also certainly lived up to his “Grand” nickname, usually tipping the scales somewhere between four and five hundred pounds at a height of 6′ 6″. He also toured Japan as a professional wrestler.

Pulling a Fire Truck, Mighty Atom Style

Posted on Wednesday, April 25th, 2012 by John Wood

The Mighty Atom Pulls a Fire Truck with his hair.

“The Mighty Atom” Joe Greenstein had unusually strong hair and frequently demonstrated this fact by using it to lift or pull very heavy objects. Shown here, The Atom pulls a fire truck loaded with people down the street sometime in the late 1920s. In case you are keeping score at home, the fire truck was an Ahrens-Fox (famously made in Cincinnati, Ohio) — you can tell by the large distinctive chrome sphere at the front which housed part of the pumping mechanism.