Edward Leedskalnin (January 12, 1887, Stāmeriena parish

Stāmeriena parish

- Towns, villages and settlements of Stāmeriena parish :*...

, Livonia; December 7, 1951, Miami) was an eccentric Latvian emigrant to the United States

United States

The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...

 and amateur sculptor who single-handedly built the monument known as Coral Castle

Coral Castle

Coral Castle is a stone structure created by the Latvian American eccentric Edward Leedskalnin north of the city of Homestead, Florida in Miami-Dade County at the intersection of South Dixie Highway and West 157th Avenue. The structure comprises numerous megalithic stones , each weighing several...

 in Florida

Florida

Florida is a state in the southeastern United States, located on the nation's Atlantic and Gulf coasts. It is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the north by Alabama and Georgia and to the east by the Atlantic Ocean. With a population of 18,801,310 as measured by the 2010 census, it...

. He was also known for his unusual theories on magnetism

Magnetism

Magnetism is a property of materials that respond at an atomic or subatomic level to an applied magnetic field. Ferromagnetism is the strongest and most familiar type of magnetism. It is responsible for the behavior of permanent magnets, which produce their own persistent magnetic fields, as well...

.
(1887 - 1951)
Edward Leedskalnin was born January 12, 1887, according to World War I

World War I

World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...

 draft registration records, in Stāmeriena parish

Stāmeriena parish

- Towns, villages and settlements of Stāmeriena parish :*...

, Latvia

Latvia

Latvia , officially the Republic of Latvia , is a country in the Baltic region of Northern Europe. It is bordered to the north by Estonia , to the south by Lithuania , to the east by the Russian Federation , to the southeast by Belarus and shares maritime borders to the west with Sweden...

. Little is known of his childhood, aside from the fact that he was not wealthy and achieved only a fourth-grade education.