Thomas Edison tested his motion picture cameras by staging and filming boxing matches at his studio in West Orange, New Jersey. In June 1894, he filmed Mike Leonard and Jack Cushing going six rounds “full of hard fighting, clever hits … body blows and some slugging.” In September 1894, champ “Gentleman Jim” Corbett squared off against hopeful Peter Courtney. (Corbett claimed all rights to the film. When Edison sold and profited from it, Corbett sued him.) Other boxers in Edison’s early films included Bessie and Minnie, “the boxing Gordon Sisters,” and the boxing cats of “Professor” Harry Welton’s Cat Circus.
Which legendary fighter is considered the last of the bare-knuckle heavyweight boxing champions?
A) “Gentleman Jim” Corbett
B) John Douglas, 9th Marquess of Queensberry
C) Jack Johnson
D) John L. Sullivan
Previous answer: Velvet is the name for the protective skin that covers deer antlers as they grow.
TRIVIA FANS: Leslie Elman is the author of “Weird But True: 200 Astounding, Outrageous and Totally Off the Wall Facts.” Contact her at [email protected]
