Combat Sports Historian and Martial Artist
When William Rudolph broke out of the St. Louis Jail on Independence Day 1903, the newspapers called it an act of unprecedented daring. However, twenty-two years earlier, Frank Fone and John D. Shea broke out of the St. Louis Jail the same way. Fone and Shea were local criminals, who frequented the Downtown area. Shea was violent, while Fone was
The Woman in Green (1945) is the ninth of twelve Sherlock Holmes produced by Universal Pictures. Basil Rathbone returns as Holmes in the eleventh of fourteen turns as the English sleuth. The film is one of the few “B” series films, which could have been an “A” film. Sherlock Holmes investigates the murder of several young London women. After they
Alex Aberg defeated many notable foes in the greatest year of his professional wrestling career. In 1915, Aberg competed in both the Spring and Fall versions of the New York International Wrestling Tournament. Competing exclusively in his preferred style of Greco-Roman wrestling, Aberg defeated Dr. Benjamin Roller, Wladek Zbyszko and Ed “Strangler” Lewis along with a number of journeyman wrestlers.
At one point before I bought my own house, I thought home repairs were one of my skills. I helped my grandfather, Gilbert Ellis, make repairs to our house and the flat he lived in. Grandpa Ellis taught me how to replace electrical outlets, washers on sinks and build lots of things with wood. I put together lots of prefabricated
On Christmas Night 1902, two small town, small-time, holdup men blew open the safe of the Union, Missouri Bank. After threatening a few citizens, they made off with over $15,000. The men were relatively safe for a few months until the Pinkerton Detective Agency was called in. The Pinkertons had a nationwide agency, which was the closest thing the United
On March 16, 1945, Universal Pictures released The House of Fear (1945), the eighth of twelve Sherlock Holmes films produced by the studio. Basil Rathbone returned as Holmes for the tenth time. Rathbone played Sherlock Holmes twice for Twentieth Century – Fox before Universal started producing the series. Despite its late entry into the series, the film (affiliate link) stands
I recently read Choque: The Untold Story of Jiu-Jitsu in Brazil, Volume 1 by Roberto Pedreira (Amazon affiliate link), which tells an alternate story of BJJ’s beginnings than we have been told by in various interviews with members of the Gracie Family. “Choque” translates to “shocking” in Brazilian Portuguese. While Pedreira exhaustively researches and cites primary sources, mostly Brazilian newspapers,
Fred Beell wrestled professionally from 1900 to 1919. After developing a legendary reputation due to some of his victories over Martin “Farmer” Burns, Dan McLeod and Frank Gotch, Beell retired as he neared 43 years of age. His post wrestling career would lead to his unexpected death at 57. Fred Beell overcame long odds to become a competent professional wrestler
Growing up I heard lots of stories about my Great Grandmother Caroline “Lee” Ellis from my mother. She spent lots of time with her grandmother who lived in St. Louis. Grandpa Ellis moved to Illinois a couple of times during the 1940s and 1950s. Mom would come back to St. Louis frequently to see Great Grandma Ellis. Grandma and Grandpa
Frank Gotch was famous for defeating George Hackenschmidt, the world champion wrestler and weightlifter in 1908 and the 1911 rematch. Gotch held the title for five years and defeated all comers. At the relatively young age of 35, Gotch decided to retire. For his last match, he would take on another famous European wrestler and weightlifter, George Lurich. George Lurich