Meet Frank ‘Cannonball’ Richards. In the 1920s, he put his ‘iron-clad-stomach’ to the test, encouraging spectators to jump on him and whack him with a sledgehammer. He even enlisting a heavyweight boxer to give it his best shot.
source/image: Getty Images TV
Frank “Cannonball” Richards (February 20, 1887 – February 7, 1969) was a carnival and vaudeville performer whose act involved taking heavy blows to his stomach.
Richards began by letting people including heavyweight champion Jack Dempsey punch him in the gut.
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He then progressed to letting people jump on his belly, being struck by a two-by-four, being struck by a sledgehammer, and finally being shot by a 47 kg cannonball from a spring-loaded 4 m cannon.Richards limited his cannonball act to twice per day, as performing it more often was too painful.
