Combat Sports Historian and Martial Artist
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
John Moellenberg was born in Germany on March 30, 1861. Sometime prior to 1890, John Moellenberg married Adele Barmann. They welcomed their first son, Frank Moellenberg, on August 30, 1891. In 1893, John, Adele and Frank immigrated to the United States and settled in St. Louis. John and Adele had more children after coming to St. Louis. Henry Moellenberg was
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
Frankie Darro and Mantan Moreland were paired together for the first time in this International Renters, Ltd (Monogram Pictures) film, Irish Luck (1939). In the film (affiliate link), Frankie Darro plays “Buzzy” O’Brien, a hotel bellhop, while Mantan Moreland is Jefferson, the hotel porter. “Buzzy’s” father was a police officer killed in the line of duty. “Buzzy” wants to be
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
An age old question in combat sports is “Who will win between a boxer and a wrestler?” The speculation around this question led to several boxer versus wrestler matches through out history, most notably the disaster between Muhammad Ali and Antonio Inoki in 1976. The matches are mostly no-win affairs except at the box office, which is why both promoters