That Time Abraham Lincoln Was Inducted into the Wrestling Hall of Fame

Happy "That Time..." Sunday! This one is a doozy. Yes, you read that title correctly. How much do you know about former President Abraham Lincoln?

Abraham Lincoln painted by George Peter Alexander Healy (1989)

As you may or may not know, Abraham Lincoln was the 16th President of the United States. Born in 1809, he was known for signing the Emancipation Proclamation. He led the United States through the Civil War. He also served in the military during the American Indian Wars, but that's maybe for another post if you're interested. He was part of three different political parties. He was then assassinated in 1965.

Most know Lincoln as a politician and a lawyer, but did you know he was also a wrestler? The man stood tall at 6'4. Allegedly, he only has lost one match.

NOW wrestling wasn't quite the spectacle we know it as today. There are no official records of Lincoln's matches. All that we know are from other people's accounts. At the age of 19, Lincoln defended his stepbrother's boat from hijackers by literally throwing them overboard.

At 29, he fought Jack Armstrong, who was thought of as the New Salem champion. Though the title of champion was loosely and informally given to Armstrong by his friends. Seems he may have just been the local "tough guy". It is unclear whether Lincoln or Armstrong won, because different accounts vary, but Lincoln did earn admiration from the locals after the fight.

Lincoln's alleged one loss comes from something he said, himself. So, for all we know that little bit might not even be true. Though, he was known for being "Honest Abe". Some of the things we know about his wrestling history came from Lincoln while he was campaigning for office.

But what about the title? Was Lincoln inducted into the Wrestling Hall of Fame? He was, but not for his wrestling prowess. Abraham Lincoln was given the "Outstanding Americans" award in 1992 by the National Wrestling Hall of Fame. The site states:

"The Outstanding American award is presented to those individuals who have used the disciplines of wrestling to launch notable careers in other walks of life, such as science, technology, business and industry, government and the military, and the arts and humanities."

So yes, Lincoln was a wrestler, but he was never formally recognized for his skills.

What other weird history would you like me to cover?

Comments

Zac Efron and Garrett Clayton are Basically the Same Person

I, a 21-year-old adult, is still a HUGE fan of the High School Musical franchise. In high school, had I been a better planner, I would have asked Lucas Grabeel to be my prom date. And even though I was older than most viewers, I did love Teen Beach Movie when it came out. In this post, I am going to explain how Zac Efron and Garrett Clayton are basically the same person. Let's start at the beginning. You may know Zac Efron as Troy Bolton in the Disney Channel Original Movie (or DCOM), High School Musical and it's franchise. He is the attractive blue-eyed, protagonist of all three HSM movies. And I will admit that I was a huge fangirl for him in my youth. Honestly, now I can't stand him. But that's for another post. Zac portrayed Troy in all three HSM films, but he only sang in the last two. That's right. Zac Efron did not sing in the first HSM movie. That was the amazingly talented Drew Seeley whom I will love till the day I die. Similarly, Garrett Clayton pl

Is Marvin from Falsettos Abusive? And Why is He Such an Easy Character to Hate?

Is Marvin abusive? Short answer: yes. Long answer: You've come to the right place. "I love my tight-knit family. I love the way they cook linguine." Let's get this out of the way, this blog, as all of my blog posts are, is 100% my opinion. Unless stated directly that it is fact, this is all what's going on in my mind. Thoughts from a fangirl, if you will. Also I have to use Spotify to link the songs, because the entire 2016 revival cast album is not on YouTube and I know the revival album better than the original albums. Also this post is going to be long because I'm actually going through actual lines from the musical. I am going to try to sprinkle some photos into this post. "Lovers come and lovers go." Listen to "Marvin Hits Trina" on Spotify. Let's start with the most obvious: Marvin hits Trina after learning that she's going to marry Mendel. Where can you find this scene? In "Marvin Hits Trina". It'

That Time A President Conducted Meetings from the Toilet

Happy Monday! Another week ahead. This week's weird moment from history is how President Lyndon B. Johnson conducted meetings and interviews while on the toilet. I learned way too much about LBJ while doing research for this post and it is going to be a LONG time before I write another weird history post about him. But there will be at least another one in the future. Man was weird. Quick history lesson for my non-Americans who may not know who LBJ is. Lyndon Baines Johnson was the 36th President of the United States. He assumed the position following the assassination of John F. Kennedy. He was president from 1963 til 1969. NOW if you're like me and you grew up with the rewatching the movie Forrest Gump over and over again your first introduction to LBJ might be when Forrest was being honored with the Medal of Honor and showed the president where he was "shot in the buttocks" during the Vietnam War. I haven't watched Forrest Gump in years, but if you haven't

The Invisible Queer

Search This Blog