Bernarr Macfadden
A bodybuilding evangelist and publishing mogul who sold millions of Americans on a gospel of raw food, barefoot walking, and relentless physical vigor decades before modern wellness culture.
1868–1955 (age 87)·American physical culturist and magazine publisher·Birthday: August 16·The Gilded Age
Biography
Bernarr Macfadden was a force of nature who built an empire from his own physique. Orphaned young and sickly, he transformed himself through weightlifting and a radical diet, becoming a muscular model for his philosophy of 'physical culture.' He wasn't subtle; he staged public strength stunts, posed for photos ripping phone books in half, and preached against doctors, medicine, and cooked food with the zeal of a revivalist. His genius, however, was in publishing. He launched magazines like 'Physical Culture' and the wildly popular true-story tabloid 'True Confessions,' creating a media powerhouse that funded his mission. While mainstream medicine dismissed him as a dangerous quack, Macfadden's message of self-reliance, exercise, and nutrition resonated with a vast audience, making him one of the earliest and most flamboyant pioneers of the American health and fitness movement.
The Gilded Age
1860–1882
Born during or after the Civil War, they built industrial America — the railroads, the steel mills, the first skyscrapers. An era of massive wealth, massive inequality, and the belief that the future belonged to whoever could build it fastest.
Bernarr was born in 1868, placing them squarely in The Gilded Age. The events that shaped this generation — world wars, depression, and rapid industrialization — shaped the world they entered and the choices available to them.
#1 When Bernarr Was Born
The biggest hits of 1868
Bernarr's Life & Times
The world at every milestone
1868Born
President: Andrew Johnson
1873Started school
President: Ulysses S. Grant
1881Became a teenager
President: Chester A. Arthur
1884Could drive
President: Chester A. Arthur
1886Could vote
Statue of Liberty dedicated in New York Harbor
President: Grover Cleveland
1889Turned 21
Eiffel Tower opens in Paris
President: Benjamin Harrison
1898Turned 30
Spanish-American War; US emerges as a world power
President: William McKinley
1908Turned 40
Ford Model T goes into production
President: Theodore Roosevelt
1918Turned 50
World War I ends; Spanish flu pandemic kills millions
President: Woodrow Wilson
1928Turned 60
Alexander Fleming discovers penicillin; Mickey Mouse debuts
President: Calvin Coolidge"Ol' Man River" — Paul WhitemanBest Picture: Wings
1938Turned 70
Kristallnacht and the escalation toward WWII
Gas: $0.20/galHome: $2,850Min wage: $0.25/hrPresident: Franklin D. Roosevelt"Begin the Beguine" — Artie ShawBest Picture: You Can't Take It with You
1948Turned 80
Israel declares independence; Berlin Blockade begins
Gas: $0.26/galHome: $7,450Min wage: $0.40/hrPresident: Harry S. Truman"Twelfth Street Rag" — Pee Wee HuntBest Picture: Hamlet
1955Died at 87
Rosa Parks refuses to give up her bus seat
Gas: $0.29/galHome: $9,550Min wage: $0.75/hrPresident: Dwight D. Eisenhower"Rock Around the Clock" — Bill Haley & His CometsBest Picture: Marty
Key Achievements
- Founded Macfadden Publications, which grew into one of the largest magazine publishing companies of its era.
- Created and promoted the 'physical culture' movement, advocating for exercise, fasting, and raw food diets.
- Published the influential magazine 'Physical Culture' for decades, reaching a massive audience.
- Organized America's first major bodybuilding competition in 1903.
Did You Know?
He legally changed his first name from Bernard to Bernarr because he thought it sounded like a 'lion's roar.'
He was a staunch advocate of walking barefoot and often did so, even in New York City.
He was briefly married to the niece of John D. Rockefeller.
He ran for Governor of Florida and U.S. President on health-focused platforms.
“Sickness is a crime—don't be a criminal.”
