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Joe
Greenstein (64 inches, 140 lbs.), of the Bronx, New
York, was a sideshow and carnival strongman known as
"The Mighty Atom." He also appeared in vaudeville, both
in Europe and the United States, over a period of about
20 years.
He was still
able to perform many of his feats when past 80 years of
age. He could 'break' by chest expansion as many as
three chains placed together, of a size designated as
No. 8 or No. 10 jack chain. This consisted of S-shaped
links of the type that could be parted rather than
broken. Greenstein could also bend an iron bar or a
horseshoe with his teeth while one end of the bar was
fixed (as in a vise.) The bar that he used for this
purpose was usually one of 1/2 inch mild cold-rolled
steel, 8 or 9 inches long. This size of bar he could
also bend into
a U shape with his hands.
But
Greenstein's most extraordinary and spectacular feat far
transcended these chain breaking and bar-bending
exhibitions. He could bite a nail in half! That he
actually possessed the ability to do this he
demonstrated on many different occasions. On one of
these, about 1934, when he was 53 years of age,
Greenstein walked into the well frequented New York
gymnasium operated by Siegmund Klein and before the
incredulous stares of Klein and about a dozen of his
pupils who were working-out in the gym at the time,
proceeded to bite in two a 20 penny nail that Klein,
after satisfying himself that it was a strong and sound
one-supplied. Klein's description of the act was as
follows: 'Greenstein placed the nail in his mouth,
clamping it between his molars and holding onto the head
of the nail with his fingers. Then with tremendous
pressure he bit into the nail, and one could hear the
teeth crunching as though they were being ground. He
then turned the nail a little and bit again. On the last
bite he just bent the nail slightly-and presto, it was
in half! . . . all of us checked his teeth to see that
there were no special mouth pieces or caps over his
teeth.' Greenstein was capable also of performing with a
25-cent coin the same feat of biting and breaking."
During World War II, Mr. Greenstein unselfishly gave his
time to Uncle Sam's Bond Drive. This modern day Samson
did not only lecture but demonstrated the strength of
his hair by pulling a truck loaded with passengers, and
in this way he sold hundreds of thousands of dollars
worth of bonds for Uncle Sam.
It is a fact that this modern Samson's hair was so
strong it could not be pulled out. One of the most
astounding feats of strength ever seen was headlined by
the Buffalo (New York) Evening Times on September 29th,
1928: "Mighty Atom -- Super Strong Man Pits Brawn
Against Plane, Wins." At the Buffalo Airport before a
large crowd of stunned witnesses, this human dynamo held
his ground when the pilot increased the plane speed from
800 rpm for an approximate speed of 30 miles per hour to
a speed of 1,600 rpm for a speed of 60 miles per hour.
Without a doubt, the Atom was the strongest haired man
in the world. "Believe It or Not" by Ripley had featured
this superman many times over the years.
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