Louis Cyr was a Canadian strong man capable of lifting obscene amounts of weight. Some of his notable feats of strength are lifting 550 pounds with one finger, lifting an entire platform of 18 man on his back and beating 4 draught horses in tug of war.
Lotus Cyr was born October 10th 1863 in the tiny town of Saint Cyprien de Napierville in Quebec, Canada. His dad was a normal sized guy but his mom was an absolute unit.
Mrs. Cyr stood over 6 feet tall and weighed 265 pound. She gave birth to 17 children. Louis was the second of the 17 children and he weighed a whopping 18 pounds as a newborn baby.
Louis Cyr was born strong. As a child he would carry 100 pound slabs of meat across his shoulders and walk it across town. At age 12 young Louis went to work as a lumberjack in the winter chopping trees and hauling logs. When the winter timber season was done, Cyr was back on his family farm doing man’s work.
It was clear from a very young age that Louis Cyr was a gifted athlete. Cyr’s mother encouraged him to grow his hair out like Samson. If you aren’t familiar with the Bible story, Sampson was the strongest man to ever live and his power was in his long hair.
Cyr’s birth name was Cyprian-Noe Cyr which he later changed to Louis after moving to Massachusetts since it was easier to pronounce and help him fit into the American culture.
Strongman competitions
In Boston he got involved in his first Strongman contest at age 22. He won by a wide margin when he lifted a horse off the ground.
Louis Cyr Feats of strength
Other feats of strength done by the Strongest man in Canada (and likely the strongest man in the world) include:
- Lifting a giant granite boulder over his shoulders.
- Lifted 4,337 pounds on his back 18 men on a platform.
- Lifted 550 pounds with one finger.
- One arm bent press with 273 pounds. Beating Eugen Sandows record.
- One handed snatch 188 pounds.
- And again, lifting a full grown horse off the ground.
Strongman competitions didn’t always pay the bills so Cyr got a job with the police force. He was on the beat as a cop for several years. Cyr earned the job after he broke up a knife fight and hauled the perps to the station with one under each arm.
He went back to show business after gaining some fame as a strongman winning competitions. He tried to parley that fame into an enterprise. This time he took his family on the road as part of his act as The Troupe Cyr.
Louis Cyr Touring with the circus
As Cyr became well regarded in Canada and the United States. Touted as Canada’s strongest man, Americans would flock to see the northern giant.
Cyr performed circus shows attracting thousands of raving fans. The Circus of Louis Cyr became popular and Cyr’s name appeared in national and international newspapers.
Is Louis Cyr the strongest man ever?
In London in 1891 Cyr formed Cyrs Brothers, a troupe that was specializing in athletics, gymnastics, and strongman stunts and theatre. However, American circuses coveted the man as the strongest man in history.
Did Louis Cyr pull 4 horses?
Cyr main claim to fame happened 10 December 1891 in Montréal. The queen came through Canada and Cyr thought it would be cool to show off a little bit. Cyr’s troupe rounded up 4 of queen Victoria’s best horses and tied two of them to each of Louis’s arms.
Queen Victoria’s team of horses stood opposing Cyr as the groom whipped the horses to force them to pull, but Cry stopped them in their tracks. The grooms stood cracking their whips to make their horse pull harder but Cyr wouldn’t budge. Resisted the pull of four draught horses pulling in opposite directions. Two horses on either side of Cyr in the middle. stopped them in their tracks.
Who is the strongest man to have ever lived?
In late 19th century, Louis Cyr was considered to be the strongest man in canada. In many people’s mind Cyr retained his title of being the strongest man in the world. Some would say that the Canadian samson is the strongest man in recorded history.
Louis Cyr Diet
He was a chow hound. He would eat six pounds of meat in one sitting. They clearly contributed to his enormous strength and size.
What happened to Louis Cyr?
Cyr died in Montreal in 1912 of chronic nephritis, and his body was laid to rest in St-Jean-d’Matha.
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