Joseph H. Pilates was the man who developed Contrology, now known as Pilates. He first introduced his method to rehabilitate injured and sick soldiers in World War 1. He later opened his first Pilates studio in 1926 in NYC with his wife Clara. In 1967 Joseph’s studio caught fire.

He died soon after at 86 due to complications of smoke Inhalation. Joseph Pilates was a true exercise revolutionary. He dedicated his entire life to his method. Unfortunately, Pilates never gained the recognition it was worthy of in his lifetime.