The Human Marvels - Freaks, Human Oddities and Marvels - Some call them freaks, human oddities and monters but I call them human marvels.

Grace Hester Gilbert was born on February 2nd in 1876 on a small farm near Nettle Lake, Ohio. She was the youngest of four children and the only one in the family to be born covered in a layer of silken hair. By the time she was 18 she was being exhibited full-time as a bearded lady.

The Human Marvels - Freaks, Human Oddities and Marvels - Some call them freaks, human oddities and monters but I call them human marvels.

The Human Marvels - Freaks, Human Oddities and Marvels - Some call them freaks, human oddities and monters but I call them human marvels.

Sword swallowing is arguably the most dangerous and misunderstood of all sideshow stunts. It is dangerous due to the physical proximity of cold steel to the internal organs of the performer and misunderstood as, more than all the sideshow arts, sword swallowing is commonly perceived to be the result of trickery. Sword swallowing is very [...]

The Human Marvels - Freaks, Human Oddities and Marvels - Some call them freaks, human oddities and monters but I call them human marvels.

The Human Marvels - Freaks, Human Oddities and Marvels - Some call them freaks, human oddities and monters but I call them human marvels.

On April 2nd, 1877 English-born Rosa Richter debuted a spectacular finale to her aerial act at the newly constructed Royal London Aquarium. The 16-year-old ‘Zazel’ descended into the depths of a cylindrical tube of cold metal and, with a great explosion, was propelled some 70 feet into the air and over the heads of amazed [...]

The Human Marvels - Freaks, Human Oddities and Marvels - Some call them freaks, human oddities and monters but I call them human marvels.

The Human Marvels - Freaks, Human Oddities and Marvels - Some call them freaks, human oddities and monters but I call them human marvels.

Born to a hardhearted carpenter in Bridgeport, Connecticut on January 4, 1838, little Charles Sherwood Stratton would go on to be the most famous midget in history. When he was discovered at the age of four by P. T. Barnum little Charles stood a mere 25 inches in height and weighed 15 pounds. His father, [...]

The Human Marvels - Freaks, Human Oddities and Marvels - Some call them freaks, human oddities and monters but I call them human marvels.

The Human Marvels - Freaks, Human Oddities and Marvels - Some call them freaks, human oddities and monters but I call them human marvels.

There are a handful of freaks and human oddities who captured the imaginations of all who bore witness to their visage. This upper echelon of famous freaks consists of household names like The Elephant Man, The Two Headed Boy of Bengal, Edward Mordrake, The Lobster Boy, Jo-Jo the Dog-Faced Boy and a few others. These [...]

The Human Marvels - Freaks, Human Oddities and Marvels - Some call them freaks, human oddities and monters but I call them human marvels.

The Human Marvels - Freaks, Human Oddities and Marvels - Some call them freaks, human oddities and monters but I call them human marvels.

People who are visually different have always been subject to attention. In different eras these individuals were labelled as monsters, freaks and human oddities. It is human nature to speculate and obsess about those born ‘different’ and it is also in our nature to feel disquieted by their appearance. Freaks have always been studied, documented [...]

The Human Marvels - Freaks, Human Oddities and Marvels - Some call them freaks, human oddities and monters but I call them human marvels.

The Human Marvels - Freaks, Human Oddities and Marvels - Some call them freaks, human oddities and monters but I call them human marvels.

In adulthood, The Mighty Atom was able to break chains with his hands and by expanding his chest. He was known to bend iron bars or horseshoes with his teeth. He often bent ½ rolled steel rods into heart shapes and drive nails through wood with his bare hands. He could change a car tire without any tools and could literally bite through nails with his teeth.

The Human Marvels - Freaks, Human Oddities and Marvels - Some call them freaks, human oddities and monters but I call them human marvels.

The Human Marvels - Freaks, Human Oddities and Marvels - Some call them freaks, human oddities and monters but I call them human marvels.

Coffey began his exhibition career in Chicago dime museums. He was billed as “The Ohio Skeleton” and he often appeared shirtless in front awed crowds. His ribs could be counted from across the room. His presentation was standard for the time and consisted of little more than groups of gawking rubes passing through and Coffey standing in a corner. There was no act, no flair to the display and very little dignity involved and John Coffey decided the situation simply would not do.

The Human Marvels - Freaks, Human Oddities and Marvels - Some call them freaks, human oddities and monters but I call them human marvels.

The Human Marvels - Freaks, Human Oddities and Marvels - Some call them freaks, human oddities and monters but I call them human marvels.

The 'Minnesota Woolly Girl' - Alice Elizabeth Doherty - holds the unique distinction of being the only recorded American to be born with hypertrichosis lanuginosa. A condition exceedingly rare and unusual. Born with with a mane of fine and silky blonde hair; she was an American Werewolf.

The Human Marvels - Freaks, Human Oddities and Marvels - Some call them freaks, human oddities and monters but I call them human marvels.

The Human Marvels - Freaks, Human Oddities and Marvels - Some call them freaks, human oddities and monters but I call them human marvels.

Sam was born on October 20, 1874 in Boston and his first public appearance was at the age of 19 and for the benefit of medical students at the 1893 Chicago World's Fair. Sam Parks was likely born with osteogenisis imperfecta – a condition that resulted in brittle bones and, as a result, regular painful fractures. According to a souvenir pamphlet distributed by Parks he could personally recall breaking 58 bones during his lifetime.

The Human Marvels - Freaks, Human Oddities and Marvels - Some call them freaks, human oddities and monters but I call them human marvels.