Is it a bird? Is it a plane? No, it’s Superman!

It was 75 years ago Thursday that the Man of Steel made his first appearance on the cover of Action Comics No. 1 in 1938.

In honor of our favorite superhero, here are 7 things you may not know about the Last Son of Krypton!

1. The first man to provide the voice for Superman was Clayton “Bud” Collyer – famous for hosting America’s very first major television game show To Tell The Truth. His vocal talents appeared on the original 1940s radio program.

2. Superman’s TV debut in 1958 featured Kirk Alyn playing the role of the iconic superhero from the comic books. He was the first actor to sport his infamous gelled side-sweep.

3. The role of Superman has been called cursed in the past. After getting his big break in the 1952 classic movie Adventures of Superman, George Reeves’ career stalled because he was typecast as the comic book icon. He suffered from depression and reportedly committed suicide by shooting himself years later. Christopher Reeve made his debut as Superman in 1978, but years later he was paralyzed after a tragic horse riding accident. He died in 2004 aged 52.