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A freak show is an exhibition of biological rarities, referred to in popular culture as "freaks of nature". Typical features would be physically unusual humans, such as those uncommonly large or small, those with intersex variations, those with extraordinary diseases and conditions, and others with performances expected to be shocking to viewers.
Learn about the term freak show, which refers to the exhibition of exotic or deformed humans and animals in American entertainment. Explore the origins, types, and impacts of freak shows, from P.T. Barnum to the Revolt of the Freaks.
- Grady Stiles, The Lobster Boy. Grady Stiles, Jr. was the 4th generation of Stiles family members born with ectrodactyly, a family trait going back to the 1840s which caused their fingers and toes to fuse into claws.
- General Tom Thumb. Charles Sherwood Stratton was born in 1838. He stopped growing when he was six months old. He then began to grow again, though slowly, in 1847.
- Four-legged Lady Myrtle Corbin. Myrtle Corbin, known as the Four-Legged Girl from Texas, was a dipygus. She was born with a severe congenital deformity of conjoined twining that caused her to have two separate pelvises and a smaller set of inner legs that she was able to move.
- Wang The Human Unicorn. Wang the human unicorn never actually performed in the freak show. He was found in Manchuria, China by an ambitious banker who snapped a photo in 1930 of the 13 inch horn growing from the back of his head.
Oct 18, 2021 · Learn about the lives and fates of nine famous freak show acts from the 19th and 20th centuries. Some were born with unusual conditions, some were kidnapped, some were mistreated, and some were celebrated.
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Mar 21, 2020 · Historian John Woolf dispels the myths of the Victorian freak show, where dwarves, bearded ladies and others found fame – if not acceptance – in front of rapt crowds.
Apr 30, 2014 · The “freak show,” or “sideshow,” rose to prominence in 16th century England. For centuries, cultures around the world had interpreted severe physical deformities as bad omens or evidence that evil spirits were present; by the late 1500s, these stigmas had translated into public curiosity.
