Eugen Sandow

Eugen Sandow
Born
Friedrich Wilhelm Müller

(1867-04-02)2 April 1867
Königsberg, Kingdom of Prussia (now Kaliningrad, Russia)
Died14 October 1925(1925-10-14) (aged 58)
Kensington, London, England
Resting placePutney Vale Cemetery
Other namesEugene Sandow[1]
Height175.9 cm (5 ft 9.3 in)
Spouse
Blanche Brooks
​
(m. 1896)​
Children2

Eugen Sandow (born Friedrich Wilhelm Müller, German: [ˈfʁiːdʁɪç ˈvɪlhɛlm ˈmʏlɐ]; 2 April 1867 – 14 October 1925) was a German bodybuilder and showman from Prussia, using the Bulgarian last name Sandow as a pseudonym.[2] Born in Königsberg, Sandow became interested in bodybuilding at the age of ten during a visit to Italy.[3]

After a spell in the circus, Sandow studied under strongman Ludwig Durlacher in the late 1880s.[3] On Durlacher's recommendation,[3] he began entering strongman competitions, performing in matches against leading figures in the sport such as Charles Sampson, Frank Bienkowski, and Henry McCann.[2] In 1901 he organised what is believed to be the world's first major bodybuilding competition. Set in London's Royal Albert Hall, Sandow judged the event alongside author Sir Arthur Conan Doyle and athlete/sculptor Charles Lawes-Wittewronge.[3] Sandow is known as the "father of modern bodybuilding".[4]

  1. ^ Cite error: The named reference time was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  2. ^ a b Cite error: The named reference eb was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  3. ^ a b c d Louise Maher (29 April 2015). "The Mighty Sandow: How the world's strongest man wowed Australian audiences in 1902". ABC Radio.
  4. ^ "Eugen Sandow: A body worth immortalising".