From the Niagara Falls Review:
George Stathakis was one strange individual. Born in Greece, he arrived in the United States in 1910 at the age of 26. Working as a short-order cook, he lived in St. Louis for a time before moving to Niagara Falls, N.Y., then Buffalo.
Stathakis was much more than a cook – he was also a self-styled mystic and philosopher, whose writings stated he had actually been born “1,000 years ago on the banks of a river in central Africa called Abraham.” He also maintained he was the first person to stand at the North Pole. While there, he proclaimed himself as “king and master of the Earth and from this summit I am going to rule and direct it.”
Stathakis’s version of his life and his philosophy were detailed in a book he authored entitled “The Mysterious Veil of Humanity Through the Ages.” Much of the book, which was available in both Greek and English, has Stathakis interviewing ancient Greek philosophers, such as Plato and Aristotle.
Another of his writings described how, in a previous life, he visited the future site of Niagara Falls: “Walking to the southeast, I arrived where the falls now (stand). They were not formed at that time.”
By the spring of 1930, George Stathakis decided on a bold move – he would go over the Horseshoe Falls in a barrel. He explained his decision by stating such an experience would help him in his search for truth. As he bounced through the rapids and over the falls, he could analyze his emotions and detach his mind philosophically for future meditation. What all this meant was a mystery to most people. Following his plunge, Stathakis was sure plenty of money would flow his way from lectures and newsreels. These funds would finance a new book he was writing. It was to be titled “From the Bosom of Niagara.”