File:Joe Louis, Underwood & Underwood, active 1880 - c. 1950, from the National Portrait Gallery, Smithsonian Institution.tif

Born La Fayette, Alabama After launching his professional boxing career in 1934, Joe Louis made short work of a string of opponents who fell victim to his punishing knockout punch. On his way to winning the heavyweight title in 1937, the heavily favored Louis was staggered by his 1936 defeat at the hands of German boxer Max Schmeling. When the two fighters met in a historic rematch in 1938, the outcome was dramatically different. Buoyed by a tremendous outpouring of support from blacks and whites alike, the “Brown Bomber” KO’d the myth of Aryan supremacy by taking just 124 seconds to pummel Adolph Hitler’s champion and retain the world heavyweight crown. A hero to millions for the rest of his life, Louis successfully defended his title for twelve years to become one of the longest-reigning champions in the history of heavyweight boxing.