Etymology and Origins
The character of the Atom (Al Pratt) would seem to be influenced heavily by the life story of Joe Greenstein, a Coney Island Polish strongman known professionally as "the Mighty Atom". Both the real-life Greenstein (at 5' 4" and 140 pounds) and the fictional Al Pratt were unusually short and had self-trained at boxing and bodybuilding to overcome poor health during childhood.
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“The universal principle of etymology in all languages: words are carried over from bodies and from the properties of bodies to express the things of the mind and spirit. The order of ideas must follow the order of things.”
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