Joe Greenstein
Encyclopedia
Joseph L. Greenstein, better known as "The Mighty Atom", was a 20th century strongman
.
Greenstein was born in Suvalk, Poland
in 1893. As a child he suffered from respiratory ailments, and at age 14, a team of doctors predicted he would die from tuberculosis
. Around that time, he became acquainted with a Russia
n circus strongman called "Champion Volanko," who took Greenstein under his wing. Greenstein traveled with Volanko and the Issakoff Brothers' Circus for eighteen months, learning the strongman's training regimen. After this, he returned to Poland and married his wife, Leah, and began a career as a wrestler. Due in part to rising anti-Semitism
in Eastern Europe
, he then left for America
.
Greenstein first went to Galveston, Texas
, working as a dockworker and oil field worker. Greenstein wrestled professionally at this time under the alias of "Kid Greenstein." In 1914, a local Texas man who was obsessed with Greenstein's wife shot him between the eyebrows from a distance of 30 feet. Amazingly, Greenstein left the hospital on the same day - the bullet did not enter his skull, but was flattened by the impact. This experience sparked Greenstein's interest in the mental powers associated with strength, and he gradually developed an array of strongman feats.
Despite standing only 5'4" and weighing 140 pounds, Greenstein became one of the 20th century's leading strongmen. Some of his feats of strength included:
Greenstein continued performing his strongman feats well into his eighties, giving his last performance at his great-grandchild's first birthday on May 11, 1977 at Madison Square Garden
. He was featured several times in Ripley's Believe It Or Not and in the 1976 Guinness Book of World Records. Later in life he sold coconut oil soaps and health elixirs at fairs and farmers' markets. He traveled in an old Model A truck with panels that opened to show his extensive collection of newsclippings and citations from civic leaders and organizations. NYC Mayor LaGuardia issued a proclamation thanking Greenstein for showing his skills to the NYC police department. Greenstein had volunteered to teach jujutsu
techniques to members of the New York City auxiliary police during World War II. It was many years before the technique was known to most Americans. At the age of 81, Greenstein was still performing. He dazzled an audience at Madison Square Garden by bending horseshoes and driving spikes through metal with the palm of his hand. He succumbed to cancer five years later. Greenstein died on October 8, 1977. The story of his life has been told by Ed Spielman in the book The Mighty Atom. The life story of Greenstein seems to be the inspiration for the fictional
character
of Al Pratt, a costumed crime-fighter who went by the alias of "The Atom"
.
Strongman (strength athlete)
In the 19th century, the term strongman referred to an exhibitor of strength or circus performers of similar ilk who displayed feats of strength such as the bent press , supporting large amounts of...
.
Greenstein was born in Suvalk, Poland
Poland
Poland , officially the Republic of Poland , is a country in Central Europe bordered by Germany to the west; the Czech Republic and Slovakia to the south; Ukraine, Belarus and Lithuania to the east; and the Baltic Sea and Kaliningrad Oblast, a Russian exclave, to the north...
in 1893. As a child he suffered from respiratory ailments, and at age 14, a team of doctors predicted he would die from tuberculosis
Tuberculosis
Tuberculosis, MTB, or TB is a common, and in many cases lethal, infectious disease caused by various strains of mycobacteria, usually Mycobacterium tuberculosis. Tuberculosis usually attacks the lungs but can also affect other parts of the body...
. Around that time, he became acquainted with a Russia
Russia
Russia or , officially known as both Russia and the Russian Federation , is a country in northern Eurasia. It is a federal semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects...
n circus strongman called "Champion Volanko," who took Greenstein under his wing. Greenstein traveled with Volanko and the Issakoff Brothers' Circus for eighteen months, learning the strongman's training regimen. After this, he returned to Poland and married his wife, Leah, and began a career as a wrestler. Due in part to rising anti-Semitism
Anti-Semitism
Antisemitism is suspicion of, hatred toward, or discrimination against Jews for reasons connected to their Jewish heritage. According to a 2005 U.S...
in Eastern Europe
Eastern Europe
Eastern Europe is the eastern part of Europe. The term has widely disparate geopolitical, geographical, cultural and socioeconomic readings, which makes it highly context-dependent and even volatile, and there are "almost as many definitions of Eastern Europe as there are scholars of the region"...
, he then left for America
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
.
Greenstein first went to Galveston, Texas
Galveston, Texas
Galveston is a coastal city located on Galveston Island in the U.S. state of Texas. , the city had a total population of 47,743 within an area of...
, working as a dockworker and oil field worker. Greenstein wrestled professionally at this time under the alias of "Kid Greenstein." In 1914, a local Texas man who was obsessed with Greenstein's wife shot him between the eyebrows from a distance of 30 feet. Amazingly, Greenstein left the hospital on the same day - the bullet did not enter his skull, but was flattened by the impact. This experience sparked Greenstein's interest in the mental powers associated with strength, and he gradually developed an array of strongman feats.
Despite standing only 5'4" and weighing 140 pounds, Greenstein became one of the 20th century's leading strongmen. Some of his feats of strength included:
- Driving 20 penny nails through a 2½ inch board with his bare hands.
- Lying on a bed of nails while supporting a 14-man Dixieland band on his chest.
- Changing a tire on a car without any tools.
- Breaking as many as three chains by chest expansion.
- Bending an iron bar or horseshoe by holding one end with his teeth while one end of the bar was held fixed in a viseVise (tool)A vise or vice is a mechanical screw apparatus used for holding or clamping a work piece to allow work to be performed on it with tools such as saws, planes, drills, mills, screwdrivers, sandpaper, etc. Vises usually have one fixed jaw and another, parallel, jaw which is moved towards or away from...
. - Bending half-inch steel bars with his hair.
- Biting nails in half with his teeth (he could perform this feat with a 25-cent coin).
- Resisting the pull of an airplane with his hair. This feat was performed at the Buffalo AirportBuffalo Niagara International AirportBuffalo Niagara International Airport is an airport located in Cheektowaga CDP, Town of Cheektowaga, in Erie County, New York, USA. It is named after the Buffalo – Niagara Falls metropolitan area. The airport serves Buffalo, New York as well as Southern Ontario, Canada...
and was documented in the Buffalo Evening Times on September 29, 1928.
Greenstein continued performing his strongman feats well into his eighties, giving his last performance at his great-grandchild's first birthday on May 11, 1977 at Madison Square Garden
Madison Square Garden
Madison Square Garden, often abbreviated as MSG and known colloquially as The Garden, is a multi-purpose indoor arena in the New York City borough of Manhattan and located at 8th Avenue, between 31st and 33rd Streets, situated on top of Pennsylvania Station.Opened on February 11, 1968, it is the...
. He was featured several times in Ripley's Believe It Or Not and in the 1976 Guinness Book of World Records. Later in life he sold coconut oil soaps and health elixirs at fairs and farmers' markets. He traveled in an old Model A truck with panels that opened to show his extensive collection of newsclippings and citations from civic leaders and organizations. NYC Mayor LaGuardia issued a proclamation thanking Greenstein for showing his skills to the NYC police department. Greenstein had volunteered to teach jujutsu
Jujutsu
Jujutsu , also known as jujitsu, ju-jitsu, or Japanese jiu-jitsu, is a Japanese martial art and a method of close combat for defeating an armed and armored opponent in which one uses no weapon, or only a short weapon....
techniques to members of the New York City auxiliary police during World War II. It was many years before the technique was known to most Americans. At the age of 81, Greenstein was still performing. He dazzled an audience at Madison Square Garden by bending horseshoes and driving spikes through metal with the palm of his hand. He succumbed to cancer five years later. Greenstein died on October 8, 1977. The story of his life has been told by Ed Spielman in the book The Mighty Atom. The life story of Greenstein seems to be the inspiration for the fictional
Fiction
Fiction is the form of any narrative or informative work that deals, in part or in whole, with information or events that are not factual, but rather, imaginary—that is, invented by the author. Although fiction describes a major branch of literary work, it may also refer to theatrical,...
character
Character (arts)
A character is the representation of a person in a narrative work of art . Derived from the ancient Greek word kharaktêr , the earliest use in English, in this sense, dates from the Restoration, although it became widely used after its appearance in Tom Jones in 1749. From this, the sense of...
of Al Pratt, a costumed crime-fighter who went by the alias of "The Atom"
Atom (comics)
The Atom is a name shared by several fictional comic book superheroes from the DC Comics universe.There have been five characters who have shared the Atom codename. The original Golden Age Atom, Al Pratt, was created by Ben Flinton and Bill O'Connor and first appeared in All-American Publications'...
.