Anneographies » athlete

November 27 Birthday: Bruce Lee

Anne — Sat, 27 Nov 2010 13:28:41 +0000

Bruce Lee, athlete

Nov. 27, 1940-July 20, 1973

Be Water, My Friend: The Early Years of Bruce Lee by Ken Mochizuki, illustrated by Dom Lee (Lee & Low Books, 2006)

A master of Kung fu, Chinese American Bruce Lee turned the West on to martial arts.

The Bruce Lee Foundation preserves the legacy of Bruce Lee.

October 30 Birthday: Charles Atlas

Anne — Sat, 30 Oct 2010 13:04:56 +0000

Charles Atlas, athlete

Oct. 30, 1892-Dec. 23, 1972

Strong Man: The Story of Charles Atlas by Meghan McCarthy (Knopf, 2007)

Angelo Siciliano was a one-man revolution for fitness. Tired of being a weak and skinny kid, Angelo embarked on a quest for physical health. A trip to a local museum where he saw a statue of Hercules, and a visit to his favorite thinking place, the zoo, where he watched a lion stretch his muscles fueled Siciliano’s inspiration. He took a new name to go with his new muscles—Charles Atlas—and was ultimately named “The World’s Most Perfectly Developed Man.” Atlas inspired millions to exercise, eat right and live right.

Print out a copy of the U.S. Department of Health & Human Services The 2008 Physical Activity Guidelines for Americans [PDF Version - 7.8 MB) to learn more about keeping healthy.

October 24 Birthday: Louis Sockalexis

Anne — Sun, 24 Oct 2010 13:45:19 +0000

Louis Sockalexis, athlete

Oct. 24, 1871-Dec. 24, 1913

Louis Sockalexis: Native American Baseball Pioneer by Bill Wise, illustrated by Bill Farnsworth (Lee & Low, 2007)

Sockalexis, the first Native American major league baseball player, won the hearts of fans with his incredible skill, but the prejudice he faced on the field and off was intense. A note in the Afterword mentions that almost fifty years after Sockalexis’ rookie year, African American Jackie Robinson broke the color barrier in the major leagues.

Visit the Official Site of the Cleveland Indians, Sockalexis’ team, then known as the Cleveland Spiders.