FACTOID #53: If you thought Antarctica was inhospitable, think again - its land area is only ninety-eight percent ice. Reassuringly, the other 2% is categorised as "barren rock".
Growing up in a tough neighborhood, Maxie Rosenbloom learned to defend himself. Not a heavy puncher, as a professional boxer he relied on hitting and moving to score points, his fights often going the full number of required rounds. Dubbed Slapsie Maxie Rosenbloom because at times he seemed to slap his opponent rather than punch, he nevertheless won the Light Heavyweight Championship of the World in 1932. He held and defended the title until November of 1934 when he lost it to Bob Olin.
In 1937, he accepted a role in a Hollywood film and after retiring from boxing in 1939 he operated nightclubs in San Francisco and Los Angeles while acting in a number of films, usually playing comedic roles as a big, clumsy, punch-drunk lout. His 300 boxing matches brought thousands of head punches that eventually led to the deterioration of his motor functions.