CornPop: The Lifeguard, the Razor, and the Truce

Every once in a while I come across a story that is just too strange not to turn into a card.

The story of CornPop is definitely one of those.

In the summer of 1962, a young Joe Biden was working as a lifeguard at a public swimming pool in Wilmington, Delaware. According to the story Biden later told, one of the local troublemakers, a man known as CornPop, had been causing problems at the pool.

Eventually, CornPop decided to ignore the pool's rules and made a dramatic entrance into the water.

Biden blew his whistle and told him that diving wasn't allowed.

That's when things got interesting.

According to Biden's telling of the story, CornPop pulled out a razor and basically let the young lifeguard know that he wasn't going to be pushed around.

Instead of backing down, Biden stood his ground and tried to talk him into a truce.

And somehow, that's what happened.

CornPop apparently respected the fact that the young lifeguard wasn't intimidated. The confrontation ended with a handshake and, according to the story, a certain amount of mutual respect.

Now, there has been plenty of debate over the years about exactly what happened and how accurately the story has been remembered. Some of the details have been questioned, and the story has taken on a life of its own.

But that's actually part of what makes it such an interesting piece of modern folklore.

It's a story about a teenage lifeguard, a local gang leader, a swimming pool, a razor, and an unexpected truce.

It sounds more like something from a movie than something that supposedly happened at a public swimming pool in 1962.

That's one of the things I enjoy about making these cards. History isn't always kings, queens, battles, and famous speeches.

Sometimes it's just a strange story that somebody remembers decades later.

And sometimes those stories are just too good not to put on a card.

This is one of those cards.

If you'd like to take a closer look, you can click on either image above to see the card in my eBay store.

— Copper State Cards

Legendary Heroes of History & Myth: Grace O'Malley

For the ninth card in my Legendary Heroes of History & Myth series, we're heading to Ireland to meet one of the most fascinating women of the 16th century.

Grace O'Malley, also known as Gráinne Mhaol, became a legendary figure along the western coast of Ireland—a skilled sailor, clan leader, trader, and warrior who wasn't particularly interested in letting the fact that she was a woman stand in her way.

Born around 1530, Grace grew up in a powerful Irish family and learned the ways of the sea from an early age. She eventually commanded her own ships and became an important leader along the coast of western Ireland.

Her life was about much more than simply being a pirate, though that's certainly the part of her story that has made her famous.

Grace was a trader, a political strategist, a clan leader, and a mother. She navigated a dangerous political landscape while dealing with the growing power of the English crown in Ireland.

She was also not afraid to negotiate when negotiation served her better than fighting.

One of the most famous moments of her life came in 1593, when she traveled to England and met with Queen Elizabeth I.

Think about that for a moment.

A woman who had spent much of her life commanding ships and operating along the Irish coast found herself sitting across from the Queen of England, negotiating over the release of family members and other political matters.

It's a pretty incredible story.

There's also a famous story that Grace refused to bow to Elizabeth because she did not recognize Elizabeth as her queen. Whether every detail of that encounter is accurate is difficult to know, but the meeting itself really did happen—and it has become one of the most memorable stories associated with Grace O'Malley.

What I like about Grace's story is that she doesn't fit neatly into one category. Calling her a pirate doesn't really tell the whole story. She was operating in a world where trade, politics, family alliances, and warfare were all closely connected.

She simply learned how to play that game—and she played it extremely well.

That's exactly the kind of person I want to include in this series. Not necessarily someone who was perfect or traditionally heroic, but someone who lived an extraordinary life and left behind a story that people are still talking about centuries later.

Grace O'Malley certainly qualifies.

If you'd like to take a closer look at the card, click on either image in this post. I've linked the images directly to the eBay listing.

This is #9 in the Legendary Heroes of History & Myth series.

We've now traveled from ancient Alexandria to the American West, Greece, China, Egypt, Camelot, the early Christian world, and now the coast of Ireland.

I'm having a lot of fun finding these stories and turning them into cards.

And there's still plenty more to come.

— Copper State Cards

Legendary Heroes of History & Myth: Sun Wukong

For the eighth card in my Legendary Heroes of History & Myth series, we're heading back to China—but this time we're leaving history behind and jumping into one of the greatest pieces of mythology ever written.

This one is all about Sun Wukong, the Monkey King.

Sun Wukong is the legendary hero of the classic Chinese novel Journey to the West. And calling him a troublemaker would be putting it mildly.

Born from a magical stone, Sun Wukong becomes incredibly powerful through his study of Taoist arts. He gains extraordinary strength, learns to transform himself into different forms, and eventually becomes immortal.

He's also incredibly difficult to control.

Sun Wukong challenges the authority of heaven, battles gods and demons, and generally causes enough trouble to earn himself a serious reputation. But that's also what makes him such an interesting character.

He's not simply a hero who follows the rules.

He's a rebel, a trickster, a warrior, and eventually a hero whose journey becomes a quest for enlightenment.

And then there's his famous weapon—the Ruyi Jingu Bang, or magical staff. The staff can change size and weight at Sun Wukong's command, making it an almost ridiculous weapon in the hands of someone who is already ridiculously powerful.

What I like about Sun Wukong is that he isn't a perfect hero. In fact, early in his story he's pretty much the opposite. He's arrogant, impulsive, mischievous, and constantly testing the limits of everyone around him.

But that's part of the journey.

Over time, his adventures with his companions help transform him from a rebellious troublemaker into a figure associated with courage, loyalty, wisdom, and enlightenment.

That's a pretty good character arc.

For this card, I wanted to capture the more powerful and legendary side of Sun Wukong. The artwork is meant to show the Monkey King as a larger-than-life figure—part warrior, part trickster, and completely at home in a world of gods, demons, and magic.

Sun Wukong has been part of Chinese culture for centuries and has influenced countless stories, movies, television shows, video games, and other characters around the world.

It's easy to see why.

If you'd like to take a closer look at the card, click on either image in this post. I've linked the images directly to the eBay listing.

This is #8 in the Legendary Heroes of History & Myth series.

We've covered scholars, sharpshooters, goddesses, emperors, pharaohs, wizards, and now the Monkey King.

I'm having a lot of fun seeing where this series takes me next.

— Copper State Cards