By Kiesly Jameson
FROM WIKIPEDIA COMMONS
George Edward Foreman (born January 10, 1949) is an American former professional boxer, entrepreneur, minister, and author. In boxing, he competed between 1967 and 1997 and was nicknamed “Big George“. He is a two-time world heavyweight champion and an Olympic gold medalist. As an entrepreneur, he is known for the George Foreman Grill.
After a troubled childhood, Foreman took up amateur boxing and won a gold medal in the heavyweight division at the 1968 Summer Olympics. Having turned professional the next year, he won the world heavyweight title with a stunning second-round knockout of then-undefeated Joe Frazier in 1973. He defended the belt twice before suffering his first professional loss to Muhammad Ali in the iconic Rumble in the Jungle in 1974. Unable to secure another title opportunity, Foreman retired after a loss to Jimmy Young in 1977.
Following what he referred to as a born again experience, Foreman became an ordained Christian minister. Ten years later he announced a comeback, and in 1994 at age 45 won the unified WBA, IBF, and lineal heavyweight championship titles by knocking out 26-year-old Michael Moorer. He dropped the WBA belt rather than face his mandatory title defense soon after, and following a single successful title defense against Axel Schulz, Foreman relinquished his IBF title as well on June 28, 1995. At 46 years and 169 days old, he was the oldest world heavyweight champion in history. Foreman is the oldest to ever win the world heavyweight boxing championship of major honors and the second-oldest in any weight class after Bernard Hopkins (at light heavyweight). He retired in 1997 at the age of 48, with a final record of 76 wins (68 knockouts) and 5 losses.
Foreman has been inducted into the World Boxing Hall of Fame and International Boxing Hall of Fame. The International Boxing Research Organization rates Foreman as the eighth-greatest heavyweight of all time. In 2002, he was named one of the 25 greatest fighters of the past 80 years by The Ring. The Ring ranked him as the ninth-greatest puncher of all time. He was a ringside analyst for HBO‘s boxing coverage for 12 years until 2004. Outside boxing, he is a successful entrepreneur and known for his promotion of the George Foreman Grill, which has sold more than 100 million units worldwide. In 1999, he sold the commercial rights to the grill for $138 million.
Foreman has been married to Mary Joan Martelly since 1985. He had four previous marriages: to Adrienne Calhoun from 1971 to 1974, Cynthia Lewis from 1977 to 1979, Sharon Goodson from 1981 to 1982, and Andrea Skeete from 1982 to 1985.
Foreman has 12 children: five sons and seven daughters. His five sons are George Jr., George III (“Monk”), George IV (“Big Wheel”), George V (“Red”), and George VI (“Little Joey”). On his website, Foreman explains, “I named all my sons George Edward Foreman so they would always have something in common. I say to them, ‘If one of us goes up, then we all go up together, and if one goes down, we all go down together!'” As with his father, George III has pursued a career in boxing and entrepreneurship. George IV appeared on the second season of the reality television series American Grit, where he placed seventh.
His seven daughters are Natalia, Leola, Freeda, Michi, Georgetta, Isabella, and Courtney. Natalia and Leola are from his marriage to Mary Joan Martelly. His daughters from separate relationships were Freeda, Michi, and Georgetta. He adopted a daughter, Isabella Brandie Lilja (Foreman), in 2009, and another, Courtney Isaac (Foreman), in 2012. Freeda had a 5–1 record as a pro boxer, retired in 2001, and died in 2019 at age 42 in an apparent suicide. Isabella Foreman lives in Sweden, where she has blogged since 2010 under the name of BellaNeutella.
In recognition of Foreman’s patriotism and community service, the American Legion honored him with its James V. Day “Good Guy” Award during its 95th National Convention in 2013.
TODAY’S ALMANAC
Question of the Day
Advice of the Day
Home Hint of the Day
Word of the Day
Puzzle of the Day
Died
- Carolus Linnaeus (botanist) –
- Buffalo Bill Cody (frontiersman) –
- Sinclair Lewis (novelist) –
- Dashiell Hammett (author of detective stories, including The Maltese Falcon and The Thin Man) –
- Richard Boone (actor) –
- John Dye (actor) –
- David Bowie (musician) –
Born
- Aleksei Nikolaevich Tolstoy (novelist) –
- Robinson Jeffers (poet) –
- Dumas Malone (author) –
- Ray Bolger (actor) –
- Dean Dixon (musician) –
- Gisele MacKenzie (singer & actress) –
- Sherill Eustance Milnes (opera singer) –
- Frank Mahovlich (hockey player) –
- Sal Mineo (actor) –
- Jim Croce (singer) –
- Rod Stewart (singer) –
- George Foreman (boxer) –
- Pat Benatar (singer) –
- Evan Handler (actor) –
- Josh Ryan Evans (actor) –
Events
- Thomas Paine published Common Sense, a pamphlet calling for independence from England –
- Florida seceded from the Union (U.S. Civil War) –
- The first line of London’s underground transportation system opened –
- Standard Oil Company was incorporated –
- Spindletop, the first great Texas oil strike, was discovered –
- First aerial photography –
- League of Nations founded –
- Juan de la Cierva demonstrated the first autogyro in Spain –
- World’s first communication through space occurred when radar pulses from Fort Monmouth, New Jersey, echoed from the Moon –
- First UN General Assembly met in London –
- Columbia Inc. and Radio Corp. of America introduced 33 1/3 rpm and 45 rpm vinyl records –
- Elvis Presley made his first recording in Nashville— Heartbreak Hotel was the A side, I Was The One was the B-side –
- Two African American students were admitted to the University of Georgia, marking the first step toward racial integration of the state’s public school system –
- State Representative Julian Bond was denied a seat in the Georgia legislature because of his opposition to the Vietnam War –
- Masterpiece Theater made its television debut –
- U.S. and the Vatican reestablished full diplomatic relations after more than 100 years –
- Daniel Ortega inaugurated for a 6 year term as president of Nicaragua –
- Judy Sweet became the first woman elected NCAA president –
Weather
- The temperature in Charleston, South Carolina, dropped from 70F to 26F. The next morning, it plummeted to 15F. –
- Charleston, South Carolina, received 10 inches of snow –
- The Big Snow in central New York State dropped up to 60 inches –
- Temperature dropped 47 degrees in 15 minutes at Rapid City, South Dakota –
- Rochester, New York, had its coldest morning since January 16, 1994, with a record -12 degrees F –
- Boston’s Logan International Airport recorded a low of -3 degrees F, 2 degrees chillier than the previous record for January 10, set in 1875. It was the city’s coldest day since January 16, 1994, when thermometers registered -4 degrees –
- A huge mudslide crashed down on homes in the tiny town of La Conchita, about 70 miles northwest of Los Angeles –
- Vancouver had 23 consecutive days of rain –
COURTESY www.almanac.com
