People still talk about the night John Henry was born. It was dark and cloudy. Then lightning lit up the night sky. John Henry’s birth was a big event. His parents showed him to everyone they met. John Henry was the most powerful baby people had ever seen. He had thick arms, wide shoulders and strong muscles. He started growing when he was one day old. He kept growing until he was the strongest man who ever lived. John Henry grew up in a world that did not let children stay children for long. One day, he was sitting on his father’s knee. The boy picked up a small piece of steel and a hammer. He looked at the two objects and said, «A hammer will be the death of me.» Before John Henry was six years old, he was carrying stones for workers building a nearby railroad. By the age of ten, he worked from early morning until night. Often, he would stop and listen to the sound of a train far away. He told his family, «I am going to be a steel-driver some day.»