I don’t know how to break this to you, but professional wrestling is fake. That said, William “Haystack” Calhoun was as close to the real thing as you could get. Haystack Calhoun was born in McKinney, Texas and by the time the hulking youth reached his 20s, he tipped the scales at 450 pounds and …
Stanisława Walasiewicz was born in Poland in 1911 and emigrated to the United States with her family when she was three months old. After settling in Cleveland, her parents, “Americanized” the family name to Walsh and began calling their daughter Stella. At 16, Stella began competing in running events and soon qualified for the Olympics. …
As soon as Fred Moore joined the Disney Studios, he began to build his legacy. The self-taught artist worked as an animator of several cartoons, including Three Little Pigs and its sort-of sequel Three Little Wolves. In 1937, he was the supervising animator on Walt Disney visionary classic Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs. It was …
The son of Polish immigrants, Alan J. Pakula had no intentions of taking over the family printing business. Instead, the Yale graduate with higher aspirations, headed to Hollywood. He became the assistant to the head of Warner Brothers cartoon department, but he was still not satisfied. In 1950, Alan moved on to MGM Studios as …
Former Pennsylvania state senator R. Budd Dwyer was elected Pennsylvania state treasurer in 1981. Around the time that Dwyer took office, a huge clerical error affecting state withholding tax (FICA, which contributes to Social Security and Medicare) was discovered by Pennsylvania auditors. The effects were enormous with records showing that state workers overpaid in the millions …
This week’s Illustration Friday challenge word is “tree”. Adlai Stevenson ran for president twice against Dwight Eisenhower and was defeated both times. He once said of Richard Nixon, Eisenhower’s vice-president: “Nixon is the kind of politician who would cut down a redwood tree, then mount the stump for a speech on conservation.” Stevenson, one-time governor of Illinois, eventually …
As a child, Little Willie John performed in a gospel group with his siblings in his adopted hometown of Detroit. But it was his appearances on local talent shows that caught the attention of noted record producer Henry Glover. Glover signed Willie to a contract with King Records, a one-time country label now specializing in “race records.” Joining a roster that included Hank Ballard & The …
The new Illustration Friday challenge word this week is “shy”. Phyllis Driver had dreams of becoming a concert pianist, but lacked confidence in her talent. Instead, the shy Phyllis became the humor editor of the Bluffton College newspaper. At 22, Phyllis married Sherwood Diller and resigned herself to the dull and expected life of a housewife. She …
17-year old Steve Took answered an ad in the music newspaper Melody Maker. Guitarist Marc Bolan was looking for a drummer to join his band and Steve fit the bill. The band, Tyrannosaurus Rex, performed one disastrous show and Bolan fired everyone but Steve. They remained a duo, busking in subways with Steve accompanying Bolan’s …
Young Billy Haines ran away from his Virginia home, with his boyfriend, at age 14. They worked in a dance hall (that was most likely a brothel), until Billy was discovered by a Hollywood talent scout and offered a $40 a week contract with MGM Pictures. In March 1922, Billy was off to Hollywood. Billy …
