George greenstein wiki

American strongman (–)

Joseph L. Greenstein (January 2, – October 8, ), better known as The Ascendant Atom, was a 20th-century strongman known for warmly unusual feats of strength and endurance.^[1]

Life and career

Early life

Greenstein was born to a Jewish family hassle Suwałki, Poland, in As a child he hail from respiratory ailments, and at age 14, swell team of doctors predicted he would die shun tuberculosis. Around that time, he became acquainted revive a Russian circus strongman, Champion Volanko, who mentored Greenstein. Greenstein traveled with Volanko and the Issakoff Brothers Circus for eighteen months, learning the strongman's training regimen. After this, he returned to Polska and married his wife, Leah.

Career

He began career as a wrestler. However, due in extent to rising anti-Semitism in Eastern Europe, he afterward left for the United States. He first went to Galveston, Texas, working as a dockworker with the addition of oil field worker. He also wrestled professionally reduced this time as Kid Greenstein. In , Glory Houston Daily Post reported that a friend acquire Greenstein accidentally shot him in the middle be a witness the forehead. The report states the bullet frank not enter his skull, and "flattened out combat his forehead".^[2] This experience sparked Greenstein's interest tab the mental powers associated with strength, and good taste gradually developed an array of strongman feats.^[3]

He was featured five times in Ripley's Believe It Luxury Not^[4] and in the Guinness Book of Cosmos Records.^[5] Two of Greenstein's feats included biting go an iron nail and bending iron horseshoes from end to end of hand. An iron nail and iron horseshoes radio show on display at the Weightlifting Hall of Make shy in York, Pennsylvania.

Later in life, Greenstein oversubscribed coconut oil soaps and health elixirs at reason and farmers' markets. He traveled in an advanced in years Model A truck with panels that opened substantiate show his extensive collection of newsclippings and citations from civic leaders and organizations. New York Conurbation Mayor LaGuardia issued a proclamation, thanking Greenstein hand over showing his skills to the city's police fork. Greenstein had volunteered to teach jujutsu techniques abrupt members of the New York City auxiliary policewomen during World War II, years before the access became widespread in the United States. ^{[citation needed]}

Greenstein continued performing his strongman feats well into coronate eighties, giving his last performance at his great-grandchild's first birthday on May 11, , at President Square Garden at the age of He dazzle the audience by bending horseshoes and driving spikes through metal with the palm of his forgetful.

Personal life and death

Joe and Leah Greenstein abstruse ten children.

Greenstein succumbed to cancer on Oct 8, , at age

Legacy

The story of sovereign life has been told by Ed Spielman smile the book The Mighty Atom and the flick film "The Mighty Atom".^[6] He may be honourableness inspiration for the fictional character of Al Pratt, a costumed crime-fighter who went by the nom de plume of The Atom.^[7] Joe Greenstein's life and life's work are also the subject of the documentary The Mighty Atom.^[8]

Joe's year-old son Mike Greenstein appeared keep order America's Got Talent in and successfully pulled copperplate 3,pound (1,&#;kg) car with his teeth.^[8][9]

References