(Note: Joseph Merrick, the Elephant Man of the 19th century, gets his own separate entry.)
Johnny Eck was born without legs along with a normal twin brother (the first reported case of foetal cannibalism?). Johnny learned to
walk about on his hands and he could paint, although the latter is hardly impressive since legs aren't essential. He is one of the
most famous of all freaks, and starred in the movie Freaks.
Grace McDaniels aka 'The Mule Faced Woman' was very strange-looking indeed, something that doesn't need pointed out. She
earned quite a bit of money for just flashing her face about. As with most of the sideshow freaks she was married and had a child,
although he didn't have a mule-face, he was an alcoholic embezzler.
Julia Pastrana must be one of the ugliest women to have lived. She was covered in black hair, had huge ears and nose, abnormal
teeth and stood at four and a half feet tall. She married a man named Lent (no doubt to take advantage of her freak status) who after
her death, had her body preserved, and continued to exhibit.
Schlitzie, real name Simon Metz, had a condition called microcephalus. He starred in the film Freaks when he was forty,
although his mental age was that of a three year old. His vast array of talents included singing, dancing and counting to ten, which
is better than most 15 year olds of today. He was usually dressed in girls' clothes and made a few appearances in films, including Freaks.
Prince Randian had no limbs. He was born in British Guiana but exhibited in the US. He could roll and light cigarettes just using
his mouth, he built his own smoking box and could do all sorts of other 'useful' things. He had a wife and five children, but the
achievement of that feat is left to the reader's imagination. He also starred in Freaks, and is best remembered for the climactic
scene in which he crawls in the mud with a knife between his teeth.
Krao was exhibited as 'Darwin's Missing Link'. She began her career at the age of six. Her entire body was covered in hair, from thick
black, to fine. Apparently, she could speak several languages, and enjoyed to read. She passed away at the fairly young age of
forty-nine.
Grady Stiles, known as the Lobster Boy, had a genetic disorder passed on for six generations which caused his limbs to end in
lobster-like claws. Grady was one of the more famous of modern-day performers. He was brutally murdered in 1992.
