The list also includes Popeye, who first appeared in E.C. Segar’s Thimble Theatre comic strip, with a story titled “Gobs of Work.” But this Popeye isn’t the one that eats spinach to grow ...

Comic Popeye’s Strength Comes From a Magic Bird (Image Source: King Features Syndicate) The first instance of Popeye’s powers appeared in the June 11, 1929 Thimble Theater comic strip.

“He makes spinach popular and the east beats a path to our door,” the caption underneath reads. A 1934 cartoon ran in The Kansas City Star shows Popeye delivering Lenexa Spinach.

However, in 1981, scientist T.J. Hamblin uncovered conflicting reports that showed spinach’s iron content had been overestimated tenfold, concluding that Segar, Popeye and the general public ...

It's probably not what you'd expect—most minds go to protein-rich steak and iron-dense spinach à la Popeye for the job. But ...