What connection do Superman and Cleveland have? While you may recall that this incredible superhero served a fictional city called Metropolis, his connection to The Land is much more than meets the eyes. Believe it or not, Cleveland is the birthplace of Superman. It was here that two creative locals dreamed him up, and here that his powers grew. Today, his Cleveland-based legacy is referenced every so often in media, but many locals are still unaware of how Superman is a true Cleveland success story. Find out how this famous local went up, up, and away… right into a permanent place in pop culture.

It's a bird... it's a plane... it's Superman! Superman is beloved and universally known, but few people truly know his backstory.
Tim Evanson/Flickr
Born on the planet Krypton, Superman was sent to Earth as his home was destroyed. Named Clark Kent by his adoptive parents, he goes on to develop incredible powers and strengths. He's a reporter by day, and a superhero whenever the time is right. What more is there to possibly know about Superman, Lois Lane, or anyone else in his universe?
While Krypton is Superman's fictional birthplace, he was actually created right here in town by two Cleveland teenagers.
Erik Drost/Flickr
The story goes that Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster met at the local high school and bonded over a shared love of literature... fiction, to be exact. Smithsonian Magazine states that Jerry Siegel was the more inspirational of the two, and that he'd dreamed up Superman's backstory in a moment of insomnia. After hopping out of bed to scrawl out his thoughts, he presumably took some time to rest. The next morning, he rushed to Shuster's home, and the teenagers worked tirelessly all day long to etch out their earliest comic strips.
While the young men eventually became a success story when they sold their hero to DC Comics in 1938, they had to face the frustrations of adult life first.
Herbert S. Fine (Jerry Siegel) and Joe Shuster/Wikimedia Commons
Their skills, as it turns out, were complementary. Jerry Siegel wanted to be a writer, and he wrote short science fiction pieces and self-published them in a magazine. Artistically-inclined Joe Shuster brought Siegel's stories to life by illustrating them. One story, "The Reign of the Superman" (pictured), allowed the young visionaries to dip into the superhero/supervillain genre... and from there, they found that comics were their calling. They spent years creating and publishing, but Siegel and Shuster faced rejection after rejection. After so many rejections from publishers, Shuster nearly walked away from Superman altogether.
While Shuster initially grew disenchanted with his character, he and Siegel reconciled in 1934.
Tim Evanson/Flickr
Together, the pair fleshed out Superman's backstory. The following year, they found their first publication opportunity. When 1938 rolled around, Detective Comics, Inc. was interested in purchasing the Man of Steel... and they did so for a mere $130 (roughly $2,400 today).

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Jerry Siegel's home, located at 10622 Kimberly Avenue, celebrates The Man of Steel to this day.
Google Maps
A colorfully decorated porch and appropriately festive signs reveal that this home is Superman's actual birthplace. It was here that Jerry Siegel first dreamed up Superman, and here that he found his strengths, weaknesses, and everything in between. According to Roadside America, the current owners intend to give a local Superman society or group an opportunity to purchase the house when they are ready to sell.
The Glenville neighborhood, at the time of Superman's creation, hosted a middle-class Jewish neighborhood where both of Superman's creators found solace.
Google Maps
The young men, according to Smithsonian Magazine, were born to immigrant families. Jerry Siegel's father was a victim of robbery and he had a heart attack during the stressful event and perished. The Siegel family was told that he was shot in the chest, a moment that the Smithsonian article linked above asserts may be the reason the young teenager began dreaming of a bulletproof man.
Today, many see Superman as the reflection of the era's immigrants... and, perhaps, how they found belonging in Cleveland.
Tim Evanson/Flickr
While his creator's families came from a different country, Superman came from an entirely different planet. Nonetheless, he blended into the melting pot culture of his new home. He found a job, and he found a love interest. Superman is living the American Dream... something immigrants and native-born U.S. citizens alike were striving to embrace. 
Eventually, after watching the whopping success of a creation they had sold for $130, Siegel and Shuster filed a lawsuit against DC Comics.
Tim Evanson/Flickr
The pair, who had been receiving no royalties or any recognition for their wildly successful creation, settled for both money and credit. In addition to their names appearing on merchandise, they also received a lump of cash each year for the remainder of their lives.
Today, Superman's legacy is undeniable... and his very creation serves as a nod to the artists that Cleveland inspires every day.
Tim Evanson/Flickr

Did you know that Cleveland is the birthplace of Superman? Share your thoughts with us in the comments!

Love seeing Cleveland in the spotlight? Believe it or not, all sorts of familiar celebrities once called Cleveland home.

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