Joe Louis

May 13, 2008

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Profile America — Tuesday, May 13th. Joseph Louis Barrow was born on this date in 1914 in Lafayette, Alabama — he grew up to be known as Joe Louis, one of America’s greatest heavyweight boxing champions. Louis became champ in 1937, and for nearly 12 years, defended his crown a record 25 times. Recently, Louis has been honored by boxing experts as the greatest puncher, and the greatest heavyweight, of all time. An African-American, his nickname was the “Brown Bomber.” His lifetime record is 68 wins and three losses — 54 of his victories were by knockouts. Now in the U.S., nearly 5.6 million people attend boxing matches each year, while millions more watch on television. You can find these and more facts about America from the U.S. Census Bureau online at <www.census.gov>.

Sources: Chase's Calendar of Events 2008, p. 267
Statistical Abstract of the United States 2008, t. 1219
http://www.census.gov/compendia/statab/2008edition.html