‘The tricks he plays at cups and balls,
Tis wrong in any man, who calls,
Them slight of hand, as he gives out,
Their slight of stumps, and are no doubt …
I’m sure that’s the worst thing about his life,
that he had to suffer these terrible poems.’
- from a handbill dating from 1726
Matthew Buchinger was born in Anspach, [...]
In his autobiography Memoirs, Count Josef Boruwlaski writes:
‘I was born in the environs of Chaliez, the capital of Pukucia in Polish Russia in November 1739. My parents were of middle size; they had six children, five sons and one daughter. Three of these children great to above the middle stature, whilst the two others, like [...]
By all accounts Melvin was a show off. Shortly after his birth in 1907 in Kentucky he began entertain people any way he could. Melvin was able to contort his body in fantastic ways. He was ale to suck in his stomach to his spine, he could elongate his neck to an incredible degree and [...]
James Morris was born in Copenhagen New York in 1859 and used his unique talent to amuse friends and coworkers from a young age. His ability to stretch his skin as much as eighteen inches from his body, with no perceivable pain, made him incredible popular with officers when he joined the military. Those [...]
Another form of human marvel is what is commonly referred to as an ‘anatomical wonder’. While some of these marvels are born with unusual physical characteristics that allow them to do astounding feats due to odd bits in their biology – a number of marvels were otherwise normal men and women who trained themselves to [...]
The Great Omi was one of the most popular tattooed men of all time. He was primitively tattooed over much of his body including his head and face, which was tattooed in bold black zebra-like stripes. Sometimes referred to as the ‘The Zebra Man’, Horace Ridler - the man who would become The Great Omi [...]
Congenital marvels are relatively rare and represent less than 3% of total human population. Also, more than 80% of those born will abnormal conditions die before they reach 3 months.
It is for this reason that the sideshow has a great number of what are commonly referred to as ‘made freaks’. This category includes such sideshow [...]
J. Tithonus Pednaud herein presents for your edification and enlightenment a curious collection of human marvels. These portent and exceptionally unique human beings stand as uplifting testaments to human spirit and serve as inspiring examples of human tenacity.
