Charles C. Peterson
Charles C. Peterson was an American billiards player. Known for his trick shots, he owned a billiard hall in St. Louis and was nicknamed the "Missionary of Billiards" for his widespread promotion of the sport. He was an inductee of the Billiard Congress of America Hall of Fame.
Early life and military service
Peterson was born on February 28, 1879, in Milwaukee, to Anthony and Anthonette Peterson. An attendee of religious schools, he enlisted in the 1st Wisconsin Infantry Regiment of the United States Army, on April 26, 1898, and served in the Spanish–American War. He served for nine months, during which he gained his interest in billiards, as tournaments were hosted where he was stationed. By the end of his service, he was ranked a sergeant.Career
After the war, Peterson moved to St. Louis and began working at the Houser & Royal Billiard Parlors, a choice made over job offers in Brooklyn, Chicago, Cleveland, and Detroit. In 1909, he established his own billiard hall, which included 31 billiard tables, an ampitheater, and a bowling alley with eight lanes. He was an early supporter of women billiards players, hosting biweekly meetings of a women's billiards club at his hall.As a billiards player, Peterson was known for his trick shots and won the Red Ball championship on multiple occasions. He represented the Billiard Congress of America in countrywide tours of colleges and clubs, with fellow billiards player Willie Hoppe, to perform trick shots and promote the sport. For this, he was nicknamed the "Missionary of Billiards". He also did so at military bases during World War II. His trick shots included making billiard balls jump each other and shooting a ball off the table and having the ball roll back onto it. He was said to have made every shot presented before him, and was billed as "Charles Show-Me-a-Shot-I-Can't-Make Peterson".
On August 16, 1930, Peterson played billiards inside a Curtiss T-32 Condor II airplane flown by British World War I Captain Frank Courtney, in the air and travelling at. At one point, Courtney flew to and traveled at, but lost the elevation due to the cue balls vibrating too much for play. There were a total of four flights. In the first, thirty minutes long, Peterson scored 70 points in 42 seconds. The fourth flight was the official flight, which departed from St. Louis Downtown Airport, he scored 100 points in 28.5 seconds, compared to his 26-second record on land. During the fourth flight, he also performed a trick shot in which he makes a three-cushion billiards shot – which requires hitting a ball after hitting the at least three times – while balancing the red ball atop the cue ball. During the flights, Peterson and other passengers waved to pilots Dale Jackson and Forest O'Brine, who were in the midst of breaking a flight endurance record.