The Physical Culture & Iron Game Picture Thread

[DannyBoy]

HOPC Facebook post:

Edward "Spike" Howard of Philadelphia, PA was a vaudeville & sideshow strongman who performed feats such as bending spikes, pulling trucks with his teeth, and as shown in this photo originally published in the February 28, 1938 issue of LIFE magazine, breaking chains by expanding his chest. Howard also notably gained a reputation as a blood donor and was credited with saving many lives as a result of his frequent donations. He claimed the title of "World's Champion Blood Donor" and at the time of this photo's publication had donated blood 871 times.

[DannyBoy]

HOPC Facebook post:

Katie Sandwina (born Katharina Brumbach in 1884) of Austria was the most famous strongwoman of her time, she stood 6ft tall & weighed 187lb in her prime and was known for her great physical strength. Purportedly Katie acquired the stage name "Sandwina" after defeating the legendary Eugen Sandow in a weightlifting contest when she was able to lift 300lb overhead while Sandow could only lift it to his chest. Her parents were circus performers and Katie got her start as a wrestler where her father would offer 100 marks to any man who could defeat her. Legend has it she never lost a wrestling match and one of the men she beat, Max Heymann, eventually became her husband of 52 years. Sandwina performed with the Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus for many years, right into her late 50s. She passed away in 1952.

[peter yates]

Hi Danny,
thanks for posting this. However i do not believe a match between Katie and Sandow ever took place. I have looked in the past and never been able to find any evidence of this happening. The reason i feel it is highly unlikely is that Sandow once well known did his best to avoid any competitions with other males as a defeat would lose him popularity and hence revenue from his various enterprises.Imagine how defeat from a woman would have harmed his reputation to say nothing of his pride.Katie was strong and may well have been able to beat Sandow at some lifts but as i say i do not think this ever happened though i stand to be corrected. Most likely the name was chosen to cash in on Sandow's success.If you have not already done so check out the great article on Sandwina by Ron Tyrrell on this site.
Regards, Peter.

[DannyBoy]

Hi Danny,
thanks for posting this. However i do not believe a match between Katie and Sandow ever took place. I have looked in the past and never been able to find any evidence of this happening. The reason i feel it is highly unlikely is that Sandow once well known did his best to avoid any competitions with other males as a defeat would lose him popularity and hence revenue from his various enterprises.Imagine how defeat from a woman would have harmed his reputation to say nothing of his pride.Katie was strong and may well have been able to beat Sandow at some lifts but as i say i do not think this ever happened though i stand to be corrected. Most likely the name was chosen to cash in on Sandow's success.If you have not already done so check out the great article on Sandwina by Ron Tyrrell on this site.
Regards, Peter.

Hey Peter. I've read it various places, but it's certainly possible someone invented the story at some point and it was then just retold/copied by others, so you may very well be right. I honestly don't know, but I added the word *purportedly* to the sentence to be safe.

[peter yates]

HI Danny,
yes i think that is what happens with a lot of what we consider history as it relates to the iron game, someone writes something then others just copy that as if it is fact and no one questions if it really did happen. While as you say many places recount the story, no one offers evidence as to the truth of it. If it did happen it would have been written up in all the magazines of the time and Katie would have used it in her advertising which she did not.I will try to find out more.
Regards, Peter.

[DannyBoy]

HI Danny,
yes i think that is what happens with a lot of what we consider history as it relates to the iron game, someone writes something then others just copy that as if it is fact and no one questions if it really did happen. While as you say many places recount the story, no one offers evidence as to the truth of it. If it did happen it would have been written up in all the magazines of the time and Katie would have used it in her advertising which she did not.I will try to find out more.
Regards, Peter.

Yeah, you would think so. Thanks Peter. Perhaps David will pop in and can shed some light on this matter, if not that it happened, perhaps how the story originated in the first place.

[peter yates]

Hi Danny,
i asked David Chapman who wrote the book "Sandow the Magnificent," if he knew of any evidence.He told me that while that story is often repeated there is no evidence whatsoever that a contest ever took place. David did a lot of research for the book including much information from Gil Waldren so something would have emerged from that. He also mentioned that Sandow avoided challenges in general from anyone. Also as Katie was rising, Sandow was past his peak as a strongman.What is more plausible is that Katie cashed in on the name proclaiming herself a female equivalent of Sandow.Whatever, she certainly was a strong and amazing woman while also being attractive and feminine.
Regards, Peter.

[DannyBoy]

Hi Danny,
i asked David Chapman who wrote the book "Sandow the Magnificent," if he knew of any evidence.He told me that while that story is often repeated there is no evidence whatsoever that a contest ever took place. David did a lot of research for the book including much information from Gil Waldren so something would have emerged from that. He also mentioned that Sandow avoided challenges in general from anyone. Also as Katie was rising, Sandow was past his peak as a strongman.What is more plausible is that Katie cashed in on the name proclaiming herself a female equivalent of Sandow.Whatever, she certainly was a strong and amazing woman while also being attractive and feminine.
Regards, Peter.

Thanks Peter, I appreciate you finding out and thanks to David L. Chapman as well. It's certainly good to know for future reference so I don't go spreading the myth any further, lol. Just based on when Sandow & Sandwina were born, I figured if it'd actually happened it would've had to taken place once Sandow was getting older & past his prime.

[peter yates]

Absolutely Danny and at that stage he was able to rests on his laurels and make income from his various enterprises.
Regards, Peter.

[DannyBoy]

On the subject of Katie Sandwina.... Pro Strongwoman will make it's debut at the Arnold Sports Festival this year and the winner will receive a bronze statue of Katie Sandwina!

Photos courtesy of the Strongman Corporation Facebook page.



I think this is awesome and a great way to honor the legendary Sandwina!