Information AboutCharles Atlas |
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Charles Atlas ( October 30 , 1892 – December 23 , 1972 ), “self-made man”, Trained himself to develop his body from that of a “scrawny weakling”, eventually becoming the most popular Muscleman of his day. His company, Charles Atlas Ltd., was founded in 1929 and continues to this day marketing a fitness program for the “97-pound weakling”, it is now owned by Jeffrey C. Hogue . HISTORY Born Angelino Siciliano in Acri , in Calabria , Italy, he moved to Brooklyn , New York , at a young age. Initially a small, weak child, Siciliano worked hard to develop his physique, he tried many forms of exercise but none gave him the results he wanted. Atlas was inspired by other fitness and health advocates who preceded him. World renowned strongman Eugene Sandow and creator of “Physical Culture” Bernarr Macfadden set the stage for Atlas. Contemplating the strength of a Tiger in a Zoo , he then conceived the idea of “pitting one muscle against another”. This system was later dubbed “ Dynamic-Tension ” and turned him into a 180-pound man who was able to pull a 72 ton locomotive 112 feet along the tracks. He was given the nickname “Charles Atlas”, after the statue of Atlas on top of a hotel in Coney Island, New York which resembles the titan Atlas that held up the world. (He later filed for and received trademark status for the name.) He soon took the role of Strongman in the Coney Island Circus Side Show . Atlas began advertising his "Dynamic-Tension" program in comic books. Atlas’ "Dynamic-Tension" program consists of 12 lessons and one final perpetual lesson. His ad became iconic, presenting a scenario in which a boy is threatened on the beach by a sand-kicking Bully while his date watches. Humiliated, he goes home and, after kicking a chair and gambling a ten cent stamp, subscribes to Atlas' "Dynamic-Tension" program. Later, the the boy, now muscular, goes to the beach again and beats up the bully, becoming the “hero of the beach”. Girls marvel at how big his muscles are, and the ad states: “The insult that Made a Man out of Mac”. The name "Dynamic-Tension" was coined by Mr. Charles P. Roman of Charles Atlas, Ltd. The Charles Atlas course "Dynamic-Tension" launched a major advertising campaigned aimed at young men between the ages of fifteen and twenty-five. His advertisements proclaimed the effectiveness of his program of turning "you into a new man." His most noticeable advertisement was the "Mac" advertisement in which Mac is transformed from a "scrawny boy" into Atlas' "muscular man." The "Mac" advertisement has been characterized as one of the single greatest advertisements of all time and launched Atlas into notoriety throughout the United States. "As is true of all the exercises in Atlas's course, you can do these exercises almost anywhere." (Yours in Perfect Manhood, Gaines and Butler 1982) WORLD'S MOST PERFECTLY DEVELOPED MAN Charles Atlas learned the exercises that were later called Dynamic Tension from Alois P. Swoboda's course ""Conscious Evolution" Atlas was later to say. "Everything that I know I learned from AP Swoboda." After being bullied as a child Charles Atlas joined the YMCA and began to do numerous exercise routines. "He became obsessed with strength. One day he watched a tiger stretching in the zoo and asked himself "How does Mr. Tiger keep in physical condition? Did you ever see a tiger with a barbell?" He concluded that lions and tigers became strong by pitting muscle against muscle." (The 20th Century History With The Boring parts Left Out" D. Wallechinsky 1999) In 1922 , the publisher of the magazine '' Physical Culture '' dubbed him "The World's Most Perfectly Developed Man" in a Contest held in Madison Square Garden . He was chosen by a cross-disciplined group of health and medical experts, educators, Anthropologist s, scientists and medical doctors who viewed Atlas as the "perfect male body" and placed his physical measurements on file for posterity. Atlas's physical measurements are buried in the Crypt Of Civilization , a Time Capsule at Oglethorpe University . LIKENESSES Charles Atlas's popularity grew throughout the 20th century. Atlas used his personal story as a marketing tool and had a strong following around the United States. His promises and personal anecdotes convinced the American people to follow his program. His " System of Health, Strength, and Physique Building" includes twelve lessons and one final "perpetual lesson". Each lesson is supplemented with photos of Atlas demonstrating the exercises. Beyond the physical aspect of his regiment his rhetoric and personal touch improved his likeness even more. He would add commentary that referred to the readers as his friends and gave them an open invitation to write him letters to update Atlas on their progress and stories. His products and lessons have sold millions and Atlas became the face of fitness. Besides photographs, Atlas posed for many Statue s throughout his life, including, it has been said, the statue of George Washington in New York 's Washington Square Park . Atlas was also an inspiration and a model for more recent body builders and fitness gurus including the current Governor of California, Arnold Schwarzenegger. Atlas died of heart failure at age 80 after his daily jog on the beach. (It should be noted that his family had a history of heart attacks, so it was probably due to genetic inheritance.) At the time, people were still writing to him. TRADEMARKS Charles Atlas, Ltd owns the following trademarks: "Atlas; "Charles Atlas"; "Dynamic-Tension"; "Atlas Nutrition"; "Mr. Atlas"; "The World's Most Perfectly Developed Man"; "97-pound weakling"; "Hero of the Beach"; and the cartoon strips "Insult that Made a Man Out of Mac" and "Hey Skinny!". POP CULTURE REFERENCES
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