5 Things You Didn't Know: Paul Newman
So, what follows is not only five things you didn’t know about Paul Newman, but also five reasons why Paul Newman ruled, five manly criteria he set, all impossible to match but benchmarks nonetheless for the rest of us.
1- All of the Newman's Own proceeds go to charityPaul Newman’s line of specialty foods began in 1982, when he started bottling his own salad dressing in old wine bottles. By 1987, the company was experiencing an annual growth of 20%, and two years later they reported an astonishing 16% pre-tax profit — substantially higher than the rest of the food industry, which averaged just 3.4%. Today, the company’s wide range of food products — famously free of artificial ingredients or preservatives — is available in over a dozen countries.
However, Paul Newman himself enjoyed precious little, if any, of the after-tax profits. He personally distributed 100% of those profits to thousands of charities, totaling around $250 million at last count.
2- Paul Newman finished 2nd in the 24 Hours of Le Mans raceThe association with auto racing is likely something you already knew about Paul Newman. It all began around 1969, as the actor prepared to portray a driver in the somewhat forgettable film Winning. Given high-performance training at the Watkins Glen Racing School in New York, Paul Newman was instantly hooked on the sport, and his greatest achievement as a driver would come a decade later.
In 1979, Paul Newman was one of three drivers with Dick Barbour Racing, a team that participated in the 24 Hours of Le Mans, an endurance race set in Northwestern France that dates back to 1923. Driving a Porsche 935, Paul Newman, Dick Barbour and Rolf Stommelen averaged an admirable 170.33 km/h (105.8 mph) over 4,088 km (2,540.2 miles), placing 2nd overall.
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