John Henry is a mythical character of folklore, much like Paul Bunyan. In the legend, he becomes the world's best steel-driver ... hammerer of nails into the rail-road ties. However, the owner of the company wants to have a mechanical hammer do the job of John and the crew. So, John challenges the machine. He technically wins the challenge, but dies of exhaustion afterward.
Source(s):
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Henry_%28folklore%29


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