Combat Sports Historian and Martial Artist
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
On December 27, 1941, Republic Pictures released the first chapter of the fourth Dick Tracy serial, Dick Tracy vs. Crime, Inc. (1941). Once again, Ralph Byrd played Detective Dick Tracy. In this series, Dick Tracy works with “The Commission” to attack crime but suspects one of the members of the commission is the mysterious Ghost. The Ghost’s henchman Lucifer, played
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,
On St. Patrick’s Day, March 17, 1905, St. Louis sports fans were treated to a special match between local professional wrestler George Baptiste and traveling Japanese jujitsu practitioner Arata Suzuki. Baptiste delighted local fans by quickly defeating Suzuki in two straight falls. George Baptiste was a professional wrestler and all-around athlete, whose powerful swimming saved many St. Louisans from drowning
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
In the late 1960s and early 1970s, my grandparents used to host a monthly card party with three of Grandma Ellis’ sisters and their husbands. Uncle Tony and Aunt Agnes Giraudo, Uncle Oscar and Aunt Dorothy Von Berg along with Uncle Art and Aunt Betty Clemmings would join Grandma and Grandpa to play Pinochle. Each family would host one
On Friday, October 14, and Saturday, October 15, 1904, 42 wrestlers in 7 weight classes met in the first Olympic Games contested in the freestyle wrestling method. Prior Olympic Games were contested in the Greco-Roman style of wrestling. The 1904 Summer Olympics was held in conjunction with the 1904 World’s Fair in St. Louis, MO. St. Louis was well-represented in
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