John Holtum was a man from Denmark, `born in 1845, who drew plenty of fans from cities around the world once he had perfected his cannonball catch.
He didn't go unscathed, of course. The first time he tried, he ended up losing a few fingers. But that didn't stop this man of steel — something must have gone better than expected, since he never received another injury again after two years of training.
The only protection Holtum required was a pair of gloves and a chest pad, not enough to completely protect him from a speeding cannonball. The crowd would hear a deafening blast, then Holtum would catch the ball and throw it to the ground. He learned quite well that it would burn flesh if he didn't drop it fast enough.
It's expected that some trickery was involved, though nobody disputed his feat. Some say the charge of gunpowder was so much less than used in battle, resulting in a slower ball, or the ball was lighter than claimed.
To shut the public up, Holtum offered 3,000 francs to anyone who would perform a similar feat. Nobody ever tried.
