Strong Men and Their Lifting Accidents
Very tight unitards, bulging muscles, and impeccable mustaches, the strong man is a staple in nostalgic memories of circuses past. While most of us struggle to open a jar of pickles, the strongman appeared to pick up hundreds of pounds with total ease. Of course, it was not just men who got the notoriety for their superhuman strength. There were also strongwomen, equally as compelling as strong as their male counterparts.
It was said strongmen and strongwomen could lift over a thousand pounds. Lifting such heavy objects could cause stress and serious strain. Dropping such objects at odd angles could have led to the man or woman being completely crushed to death. Lifting the objects off of the man or women’s bodies would prove to be difficult, with many people required in order to lift it.
It was not just weight lifting that drew in the crowds. All sorts of objects and beings were used to show off the strength of this muscled mammoth men and women. Often, baskets conjoined by a long bar and filled with people would be used, otherwise known as the human dumbell. One act, created by Signor Lawanda, the Iron-Jawed Man, involved him clenching a harness in his mouth in order to lift a 1400 pound horse. His horse lifting act drew the attention of P.T. Barnum, who eventually hired him as the strongman for Barnum’s circus.