John L. Sullivan (October 12 1858 – February 2 1918) was recognized as the first heavyweight champion of gloved boxing from February 7 1882 to 1892, and is generally recognized as the last heavyweight champion of bare-knuckle boxing under the London Prize Ring rules. He was the first American sports hero to become a national celebrity and the first American athlete to earn over 1 million dollars.
This week's famous Irishman is Cyrus Hall McCormick.
Cyrus Hall McCormick (February 15, 1809 – May 13, 1884) of Rockbridge County, Virginia was an American inventor and founder of the McCormick Harvesting Machine Company, which became part of International Harvester Company in 1902.
Jack B. Yeats (29 August 1871 – 28 March 1957) was an Irish artist. Yeats's early style was that of an illustrator and almost a cartoonist (he produced the first cartoon strip version of Sherlock Holmes in 1894).
