In the early 20th century, people who were born with deformities would join (or be forced to join) circus sideshows – attractions that were popular all over Europe and the US. For most of them, this was the only way they could earn money.
The golden age of American and European freak shows – traveling exhibitions and carnival attractions, often of disabled or disfigured entertainers – spanned about a century, from roughly 1840 to 1940
In the 1880s, they retired and purchased a small farm. Millie died of tuberculosis at age 61, with Christine following hours later. They remain one of the oldest-lived sets of conjoined twins.
Mignon's real name was Ruth Davis. Short and stout with a waddling gait, she began to exhibitherself in the early 1930s as Mignon, the Penguin Girl (“mignon” is French for “cute”). To give the act a little pizzazz she played the marimba. In addition to sideshows, she worked the world's fairs held in New York and Chicago during the 30s. She married twice – once to a man named LaArgo, and then to Hoppy the Frog Boy (Earl Davis) with whom she performed for the last decade of her career. She left the sideshow life around 1965.
Eventually that world record was broken by someone named Chris Elliot who was pierced 3,900 times in just under eight hours. Rubio, hoping to recapture the title, got another 7,000 surgical steel needles inserted into his body in 2012. We couldn't find info on whether he did got recognition from the Guinness Book, but he certainly gained the title of Human Pin Cushion on our list.
Stephen, dubbed the "Human Camera," was diagnosed with autism at the age of three.
The 40-year-old bachelor, who lives with his mum, claims he doesn't know how he becomes a magnet for objects. He explains that first he focuses his mind on something, then releases the feeling of magnetic attraction that makes even the heaviest item stick to him.
He can pick up electric irons using just his skin's bizarre ability — and he can clear a table of cutlery faster than an army of waiters.
Bibrowski was born in 1891 near Warsaw in Poland with one-inch hair covering his body. His mother blamed the condition on the mauling of his father by a lion, which she witnessed while pregnant with Stephan. She considered Stephan an abomination and gave him to a German impresario named Meyer when he was four. Meyer gave him his stage name and started exhibiting him around Europe.
By the time he was put on exhibit, Lionel's hair had grown to eight inches (20 cm) on his face and hung about four inches (10 cm) everywhere else. His body was almost entirely coveredwith hair, the only exceptions being the palms of his hands and the soles of his feet. In 1901, Lionel traveled to the United States and started appearing with the Barnum & Bailey Circus.
By the late 1920s, Lionel abandoned his sideshow career and moved back to Germany. He was reported to have died in Berlin from a heart attack in 1932 at the age of forty-one.
Wehrle suffered from Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome, a condition that makes your skin very flexible. He performed at many Barnum & Bailey shows.
Newberry, an agent with the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms for 27 years, is known as a human lie detector – he was the first person to score 90 percent across the board on lab tests of lie detection. Newberry proved able to spot lies about crime, beliefs, and emotion (the hardest for most people to discern). He received a perfect score on the emotion test, in which a subject must judge whether 10 nurses are truly viewing and describing pleasant footage of a seashore, or whether they are lying about viewing this film while in fact watching distressing footage of surgical procedures.
Newberry retired from the ATF in 1998 and now lives on a secluded ranch in Northern California, where he consults on cases that local officials fail to solve.
Louise was far from being unique. For more than 200 years natural philosophers, scientists and showmen have exhibited the bodies of African Americans with white or gradually whitening skin in taverns, dime museums, and circus sideshows. The term "White Negro" has served to describe individuals born with albinism as well as those who have vitiligo.
Xie Shuiping volunteers to take punches from random strangers for a fee. Surprisingly, taking a beating is a decent source of income, earning him about $3,500 a month.
Xie, who is also known as the "human punching bag," hangs around streets, bars and nightclubs just waiting to get punched. Each person who comes forward is allowed to punch him three times in the stomach, as hard as possible. The "performance" lasts about 20 minutes, and those who beat him or shake him can get free drinks at the bar.
Financial rewards aside, Xie likes to think he helps people let off some team as well.
Xie began his unusual career in 2004, when he took part in a promotional show at a supermarket. The audience members were invited to hit him over the head with wine bottles. Away from home and short on cash, he decided to capitalize on the unusually strong abs he had developed through years of manual labor and qigong, an art that many Chinese believe strengthens both body and spirit.
The golden age of American and European freak shows – traveling exhibitions and carnival attractions, often of disabled or disfigured entertainers – spanned about a century, from roughly 1840 to 1940
1. Smith, The Musical Contortionist
Smith (or possibly Max), known as "The Musical Contortionist," was a contortionist that played the banjo while making his body go into odd positions. He performed in the 1910s.2. Millie and Christine McCoy, The Two Headed Nightingale
Millie and Christine McCoy (1851-1912) were conjoined twins born into slavery. They and their mother were sold to showman Joseph Smith. Smith and his wife educated the girls; they eventually learned to speak five languages as well as dance, play music, and sing. They were known as "The Two Headed Nightingale."In the 1880s, they retired and purchased a small farm. Millie died of tuberculosis at age 61, with Christine following hours later. They remain one of the oldest-lived sets of conjoined twins.
3. Ruth Davis, The Penguin Girl
Circus performer Mignon was born with the birth defect a phocomelia, (or "seal limbs"), in 1910. All four of her limbs were affected, leaving her looking very much like a penguin.Mignon's real name was Ruth Davis. Short and stout with a waddling gait, she began to exhibitherself in the early 1930s as Mignon, the Penguin Girl (“mignon” is French for “cute”). To give the act a little pizzazz she played the marimba. In addition to sideshows, she worked the world's fairs held in New York and Chicago during the 30s. She married twice – once to a man named LaArgo, and then to Hoppy the Frog Boy (Earl Davis) with whom she performed for the last decade of her career. She left the sideshow life around 1965.
4. The Human Pin Cushion
A man who calls himself the "Mexican Pin Cushion" is trying to set a new world record for the most piercing needles in a body at one time. Arlington, Texas resident Robert Rubio reallywanted to be in the Guinness Book Of World Records and first set a record in 2008 with 900 needles, but someone surpassed him with a record 1097 needles. So in 2010, Rubio set reached 2000 needles, then upped it to 2100 – getting there one needle at a time.Eventually that world record was broken by someone named Chris Elliot who was pierced 3,900 times in just under eight hours. Rubio, hoping to recapture the title, got another 7,000 surgical steel needles inserted into his body in 2012. We couldn't find info on whether he did got recognition from the Guinness Book, but he certainly gained the title of Human Pin Cushion on our list.
5. The Human Camera
In 2009, savant Stephen Wiltshire drew a detailed 7 square-mile area of London from his own memory after just a 20 minute helicopter flight with the over the city. The artist amazed everyone by drawing hundreds of London's buildings in exact scale, such as the Swiss Re tower or Canary Wharf on a 13ft curving canvas in 5 days.Stephen, dubbed the "Human Camera," was diagnosed with autism at the age of three.
6. The Human Magnet
Aurel Raileanu, a.k.a The Human Magnet, is known for having objects (spoons, books, lighters, etc.) stick to him like glue. In 2007, he set a world record for making a 57lb (26kg) TV set cling to his chest without the aid of wires, glue or string.The 40-year-old bachelor, who lives with his mum, claims he doesn't know how he becomes a magnet for objects. He explains that first he focuses his mind on something, then releases the feeling of magnetic attraction that makes even the heaviest item stick to him.
He can pick up electric irons using just his skin's bizarre ability — and he can clear a table of cutlery faster than an army of waiters.
7. Stephan Bibrowski, Lionel the Lion-Faced Man
Stephan Bibrowski (1891–1932), better known as Lionel the Lion-Faced Man, was a famous sideshow performer. His whole body was covered with long hair that gave him the appearance of a lion; this was likely due to a rare condition called hypertrichosis.Bibrowski was born in 1891 near Warsaw in Poland with one-inch hair covering his body. His mother blamed the condition on the mauling of his father by a lion, which she witnessed while pregnant with Stephan. She considered Stephan an abomination and gave him to a German impresario named Meyer when he was four. Meyer gave him his stage name and started exhibiting him around Europe.
By the time he was put on exhibit, Lionel's hair had grown to eight inches (20 cm) on his face and hung about four inches (10 cm) everywhere else. His body was almost entirely coveredwith hair, the only exceptions being the palms of his hands and the soles of his feet. In 1901, Lionel traveled to the United States and started appearing with the Barnum & Bailey Circus.
By the late 1920s, Lionel abandoned his sideshow career and moved back to Germany. He was reported to have died in Berlin from a heart attack in 1932 at the age of forty-one.
8. Felix Wehrle, The Elastic-Skin Man
Felix Wehrle (1858) known as "The Elastic-Skin Man," could stretch his skin out on any part of his body and could also bend his fingers backwards and forwards.Wehrle suffered from Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome, a condition that makes your skin very flexible. He performed at many Barnum & Bailey shows.
9. The Human Lie Detector
It's hard to define the concept of truth, but when it comes to spotting a liar, former federal agent JJ Newberry says what's key is understanding human behavior.Newberry, an agent with the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms for 27 years, is known as a human lie detector – he was the first person to score 90 percent across the board on lab tests of lie detection. Newberry proved able to spot lies about crime, beliefs, and emotion (the hardest for most people to discern). He received a perfect score on the emotion test, in which a subject must judge whether 10 nurses are truly viewing and describing pleasant footage of a seashore, or whether they are lying about viewing this film while in fact watching distressing footage of surgical procedures.
Newberry retired from the ATF in 1998 and now lives on a secluded ranch in Northern California, where he consults on cases that local officials fail to solve.
10. Louise, The Leopard Girl
Louise The Leopard Girl was an African American who suffered from vitiligo, a skin disorder which causes spotting.Louise was far from being unique. For more than 200 years natural philosophers, scientists and showmen have exhibited the bodies of African Americans with white or gradually whitening skin in taverns, dime museums, and circus sideshows. The term "White Negro" has served to describe individuals born with albinism as well as those who have vitiligo.
11. The Human Punching Bag
Some people can't even handle a single punch, but for this 48-year-old Chinese man getting beat up is a strange career choice.Xie Shuiping volunteers to take punches from random strangers for a fee. Surprisingly, taking a beating is a decent source of income, earning him about $3,500 a month.
Xie, who is also known as the "human punching bag," hangs around streets, bars and nightclubs just waiting to get punched. Each person who comes forward is allowed to punch him three times in the stomach, as hard as possible. The "performance" lasts about 20 minutes, and those who beat him or shake him can get free drinks at the bar.
Financial rewards aside, Xie likes to think he helps people let off some team as well.
Xie began his unusual career in 2004, when he took part in a promotional show at a supermarket. The audience members were invited to hit him over the head with wine bottles. Away from home and short on cash, he decided to capitalize on the unusually strong abs he had developed through years of manual labor and qigong, an art that many Chinese believe strengthens both body and spirit.
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My research blog on The Penguin Lady: ruthmignon.wordpress.com
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