On September 29, 1928, newspaper headlines read "The Mighty Atom – Super Strong Man Pits Brawn Against Plane, Wins!" They were describing a feat by a popular strongman where he held an aircraft on the ground with his hair. It was later featured on Ripley’s "Believe it or Not." 
The "Mighty Atom" in question was one Joseph L. Greenstein, a Polish Jew (shoutout!) and early 20th-century strongman known for biting through iron nails, driving nails into boards with his hands, or bending iron horseshoes.
Greenstein was all sorts of awesome. He actually put on a show where he bent horseshoes at Madison Square Garden in 1977... when he was 84. Guy was a living legend. But he holds a special place in my heart because of something else. The man loved punching Nazis.
Greenstein emigrated early on to the United States to escape the rising antisemitism that was spreading all over Europe. Sadly, he also found it in the US when he walked past the HQ of the American Nazi Party, which, yes, was a thing that existed.
There was a sign on the building, reading (depending on the source) "No Jews or Dogs Allowed" or just "No Jews Allowed." In any case, Greenstein didn't like that so he found a ladder and took the sign down. That's when 18-20 (literal) American Nazis surrounded him.
What happened next can only be called a "fight" using the most liberal definition of the word, since Greenstein ended up putting 18 Nazis in the hospital. At his court hearing, the Mighty Atom even said: "It wasn’t a fight. It was a pleasure."
His case was dismissed.
His case was dismissed.
The moral of the story is that America once knew it was perfectly OK and right to punch Nazis, and Joe Greenstein was really, REALLY good at it. I think he would be happy to know that his legacy lives on.
The End.
The End.
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