Apollon

Apollon the Mighty, born Louis Uni, lived from 21 February 1862 to 18 October 1928 and was a French strongman whose career spanned the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. He was especially famous for his exceptional grip strength, and because his strength was so far above the ordinary for his time he and his contemporary Louis Cyr were together called the Kings of Strength. He was born in Marsillargues, ran away at fourteen to join a travelling circus, and later made his living as a wrestler and stage strongman. In 1889 he took part in a Greco-Roman wrestling competition in Bordeaux and the same year was reported to have lifted easily a train-car wheel and axle that his rival Batta could lift only to his shoulders. His stage act included bending the iron bars of a cage, performed at venues such as the Folies Bergère, and his best known legend is the thick barbell later called Apollon's Axle.