Combat Sports Historian and Martial Artist
On May 7, 2016, my daughter Caity returned to Taekwondo competition for the first time in eight years. As her dad but also her coach, I tried to dissuade her from sparring until we had a few more months but she was adamant about sparring at the tournament. Caity likes forms but she always preferred sparring. Reluctantly, I agreed. I
In 1877, St. Louis was the largest city west of the Mississippi. St. Louis Police dealt with the typical problems of a major city. St. Louis Police Officers responded to reports of murder, rape and robbery. On the morning of December 12, 1877, St. Louis Police Officer Daily responded to the report of a bear on the Downtown St. Louis
Many Zimmermans always believed my great-grandfather Parker L. Zimmerman was married five times. However, Parker was married three times to Victoria Harris, Mellie Bollinger and Lydia Margaret “Dollie” Story. It was actually Parker’ sister-in-law Amanda Isabelle “Mandy” Story, who was married five times. Mandy was born in Illinois on July 16, 1877 to George Washington Story and Malinda Davis although
During February 1901, St. Louis professional wrestler and local businessman George Baptiste reluctantly filed for divorce from his wife, Nellie May Baptiste, alleging desertion. It was actually the second time, Baptiste filed for divorce from Mrs. Baptiste. During the summer of 1896, Baptiste was vacationing in Millford, Connecticut. The 31-year-old was a powerful swimmer and all-around athlete in addition to
Before reading Gangs of St. Louis: Men of Respect by Daniel Waugh, I knew and wrote about Robert Creed and his brother Thomas murdering St. Louis Police Officer George Geisler on Halloween Day 1920. What I didn’t know was Robert Creed was a member of the Cuckoo Gang, an ultra violent criminal organization in the 1920s. Robert Creed was the
“Terrible” Terry McGovern earned a reputation as one of the most powerful punchers in the history of the lighter divisions of professional boxing. McGovern weighed between 112 and 126 pounds. Unlike his fellow smaller fighters, who overwhelmed their opponents with punching volume, McGovern possessed exceptional knockout power. McGovern proved his power on Tuesday, September 12, 1899, when he fought British
A few weeks ago, my second foray into the martial arts came full circle. My daughter started studying Taekwondo again after more than five years away from the sport. It is actually Caity, who brought me back to martial arts in the summer of 2000. After my natural father passed away in July 1999, I went on a year-long fitness
At the beginning of 1911, the wrestling public considered three men to be the greatest challenge to reigning World Champion Frank Gotch. Former champion George Hackenschmidt, Stanislaus Zbyszko and “The Terrible Turk” Yussif Mahmout wanted the chance to beat Gotch. Gotch, who was nobody’s fool, decided to take some of the starch out of his challengers by matching them up
On February 7, 1882, John L. Sullivan fought Paddy Ryan for a title, which was certainly the American Heavyweight Prizefighting Championship but probably not the World Title it was billed as. In 1880, Paddy Ryan won the title in his first and only prize fight before facing the ferocious power puncher Sullivan. The men met in Mississippi City, Mississippi around
Samuel Rachmann promoted the International Wrestling Tournament in New York during 1915. Rachmann invited wrestlers from around the world to the tournament but his real intention was to establish European Greco-Roman Wrestling Champion Alex Aberg as the successor to the retired Frank Gotch as World Champion. Rachmann’s plan for establishing Aberg was going as planned after the tournament kicked off