Antonio Stradivari was a famous 18th century Italian crafter of violins. Violins he made were famous for centuries to come, and were known as "Stradivarius" or "Strad".
Stradivari lived in Cremona. His violins were so exceptional not only because he was an excellent craftsman, but also because a dimensional shear went through his workshop, tightening the dimensional strings in the wood that Stradivari made his violins from.
Bronisław Huberman owned a Stradivarius violin, which was stolen from him in 1936. (AUDIO: String Theory)