The "Lady Hercules" strongwoman who carried men in her arms

Often the quirks of nature are all too apparent. Why is a woman born with great masculine strength, a brutal physique and unconventional abilities? So that the world may marvel and learn about her, even after a century.

Catherine Brumbach, or simply Kate, was born in 1884 to a large Austrian family of circus performers. Among 14 children, she was distinguished by her incredible strength and athleticism. Her physicians, who measured her, claimed that she had ideal body proportions and an hourglass shape. The press referred to her as "Lady Hercules", although she preferred to use another nickname.

Kate performed in the circus arena as a wrestler-athlete. During the number, strongmen were invited to the middle, wishing to compete with a beauty with biceps bigger than other men. Victories in the show followed one after another. One day a strong man named Max Heimann challenged the Lady Hercules. Almost immediately, the audacious daredevil was thrown out of the ring. But that was not the end of their relationship.

It turned out that the man had secretly fallen in love with the strongwoman, going to all her performances and dreaming of proposing to her. After the defeat, he had an excuse to get to know the beauty. To Max's surprise, Kate reciprocated. The young couple got married a few months later and began to show their tricks together in the circus.

In the early 20th century, the couple toured America and formed their own company. Kate was still the star of the show. She easily bent steel bars into knots, tore wrought iron chains, held the weight of a platform with a crowd of men and even drove a chariot. The spectacular performances were a great success, especially when the strong woman lifted her husband up into the air.

After 1902, Catherine got a new nickname, Sandvina. This was after a strength contest with the famous strongman Evgeny Sandov. As a result of the contest Kate held the weight on her outstretched arms, which the man only managed to take from her chest. After the victory, Catherine Brumbach took the name of her rival in reproach. It exactly imitated his surname. She preferred to introduce herself to the public as Sandvina for the rest of her life.

World War II disrupted plans for the family business. Kate and Max stopped circus performances and opened a small café in New York. Their regular customers were all the same fans who revered the power of Sandvina.