Charles Saliba

Charles "Ironman" Saliba was a Maltese performing oldtime strongman, born in Sliema on 13 November 1929, who staged feats of strength shows during the 1960s, 1970s and early 1980s and was billed as the strongest man in Europe. His act combined bending steel bars, lying on beds of nails or sea urchins, lifting weights with his hair, and pulling cars, trucks, buses and once an Air Malta Boeing 727 to raise money for charity. In 1969 he broke the record for lying on a bed of nails, and in 1970 he performed on a BBC television appearance. He toured the United Kingdom, performed in Australia and Singapore, and trained the Maltese boxer Bertu Camilleri. He died on 19 July 1982 while attending an open water endurance swimming record show.