Combat Sports Historian and Martial Artist
Marie H. “Babe” Johannpeter was born in St. Louis, Missouri on June 17, 1903. “Babe” was the second child and first daughter born to my second great-uncle Julius “Uncle Jules” Johannpeter and his wife Bertha Johannpeter nee Horst. My grandfather Gilbert Ellis spent a lot of his time with Uncle Jules family, while he was growing up. Grandpa Ellis’ father
On January 7, 1903, St. Louis Chief of Detectives William Desmond married 24-year-old Hannah McLaughlin in a ceremony he hoped to keep secret. The 46-year-old Desmond always said he would never marry due to the dangers of his job. However, he was clearly smitten with Hannah McLaughlin. In March 1897, the St. Louis Post-Dispatch printed the first rumors of an
A 122-year-old brick house dominates the street scene at the corner of Whittier Street and Cook Avenue in St. Louis, Missouri. Builders erected the 2378 square foot house in 1892. Its unique architecture includes a turret balcony on the second floor of the northeast wall. When first built, 4200 Cook must have been an impressive site. Today, 4200 Cook is
My grandfather Frank O. Zimmerman’s oldest brother was Robert Harold “Harry” Zimmerman. They had a four older half-brothers and sisters and a deceased half-sister but Harry was the first child of Parker L. Zimmerman and his third wife Dolly. Grandpa would be born May 28, 1913. Harry is a bit of a mystery as he died around the
When I first started training in martial arts in 1995, the stories tied to the founding of most martial arts were pretty fantastic with superhuman feats of physical prowess and fighting ability attributed to their founders. Whether Kung Fu, Karate or Judo, the founder took the skills learned in previous martial arts, modified it and defeated everyone. These claims are
The Louisiana Purchase Exhibition, or 1904 St. Louis World’s Fair as it is more popularly known, is the most significant event in St. Louis, Missouri history. While St. Louis was the largest city west of the Mississippi River, the World’s Fair put it on the international map. While the fair would bring notoriety, tourists and increased revenue to the city,
From 1931 to 1954, Lum and Abner occupied a spot among the most popular shows during the Old Time Radio era. Chester Lauck and Norris Goff attended the University of Arkansas together. Lauck and Goff later developed their show Lum and Abner based on life in Arkansas. The show struck a cord with many listeners. My wife’s grandmother once told
On January 5, 1900, four days before a showdown with Bantamweight Boxing Champion Terry McGovern, Featherweight World Boxing Champion George Dixon made an announcement to chill the spine of all his supporters. Dixon announced that win or lose, he would be retiring from the ring after the bout with McGovern. The last thing a manager wants to hear before a
On December 1, 1944, Universal Pictures released the latest horror film in the Frankenstein series, House of Frankenstein, with an all-star cast. Boris Karloff, who originally played Frankenstein’s monster, returns to the series as the mad scientist Dr. Niemann. An earthquake releases him and his hunchbacked assistant Daniel from prison. Dr. Niemann intends to exact revenge on the men who
On December 23, 1903, Frank Gotch traveled to Bellingham, Washington to take on a 6’05”, 215 pound Native American wrestler from Montana. Wrestling fans in the area considered Chief Two Feathers to be unbeatable. Frank Gotch was not impressed with his reputation but he gave Gotch the most uncomfortable 15 minutes of his young career. Chief Two Feathers entered the