Hackenschmidt Tours St. Louis in 1905

george-hackenschmidt-posing

The May 9, 1905 edition of the St. Louis Republic’s sport section contained a story about an upcoming match between local wrestler George Baptiste and the touring World Wrestling Champion, George Hackenschmidt.  The paper did not give Baptiste a chance against Hackenschmidt, who just beat Tom Jenkins for the World Championship.  If the editor knew “Hack’s” condition at the time, he may have

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Zbyszko and the Last Shoot Match

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Stanislaus Zbyszko was born Stanislaw Jan Cyganiewicz on April 1, 1880 in Jodlow, Poland, which was part of the Austria-Hungarian Empire. Zbyszko chose the ring name Stanislaus Zbyszko because it was the name of a fictional Polish knight.  An article in the Walla Walla, Washington newspaper, The Evening Statesman’s on Tuesday, February 8, 1910, publicized Zbyszko’s university and intellectual accomplishments.

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Prizefighters Meet in Liverpool Pub

tom-sayers

For the October 5, 1861 edition of the Cincinnati Daily Press, editors pulled a story off the wire service from the Spirit of the Times.  The wire story reported on a fight between former English prizefighting champion Tom Sayers and current English champion Jem Mace. Both Sayers and Mace were touring with English circuses, when they stopped in at a

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Hack and What It Takes To Be Great

george-hackenschmidt-suit

George Hackenschmidt (1877-1968) was a world record holding weightlifter and World Heavyweight Wrestling Champion before wrestling was prearranged and lifters were using steroids.  Hackenschmidt achieved a level of greatness due to several factors. He achieved a high level of physical fitness.  His physical condition allowed him to be the most successful wrestler of his era.  A few wrestlers may have been

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Sgt. King’s Home on Lotus Avenue

sgt.-king-home

I previously wrote about an incident in which a Detective Sergeant for the St. Louis Police was shot during a robbery attempt.  Unlike a number of other incidents in Gilded Age St. Louis history, Detective Sergeant James Martin King’s home in January 1920 still exists. The home is still in excellent condition. 4973 Lotus Avenue was the home of Sgt. King in

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