Chang and Eng
Chang and Eng Bunker were born in Thailand formerly known as Siam on May 11th 1811. The twins would become the most famous twins in the world, due to their extraordinary condition. The brothers were literally joined at the hip as conjoined twins who shared a liver, and their fame would make the term Siamese twins synonymous with conjoined twins.
After they were discovered by a Scottish businessman named Robert Hunter they were bought and brought to America. The twins received little pay as they were exploited in trashy circus shows by Hunter. Later on the twins went into business for themselves as a more refined solo show, displaying acrobatics, humour and q and a sessions. The brothers would accrue a huge amount of wealth and fame and leave a lasting legacy of the first Siamese twins.
The Bunkers retired in 1839 in Carolina, where they did some exploiting of the own as slave owners on a farm. The brothers would marry their wives Adelaide and Sarah and have 21 children between them.
Human skeleton
Born Isaac W. Sprague on May 21st 1841 in Massachusetts, he would later become known as the human skeleton. As a young boy he was nothing out of the ordinary, leading a normal healthy life. However at the age of 12 Sprague continued to lose masses of weight despite eating normally.
He seemed to become thinner and more emaciated as time went by, a condition historian describe as progressive muscular atrophy. This motor neuron disease causes the muscles to get weaker and waste away over time.
After he failed to earn a living as a cobbler and grocer Sprague would be hired by P.T Barnum. It is here he would become the human skeleton performing in freak shows. At age 44 he weighed on 43 pounds – standing at 5ft 6. In an attempt to counteract the condition, he would continuously try to keep nourished, carrying high fat flasks of milk around with him. However he would ultimately succumb to his condition and die at the age of 45.
Human torso
Prince Randian AKA the snake man, The Human Torso or the human caterpillar was born in British Guyana with no limbs. But, despite these severe limitations he did not give up on life. He learned to speak in 4 separate languages and fathered 4 children.
He was allegedly brought to America in 1889mby P.T Barnum and performed in Freak shows for the next 45 years. During his act he would dress in a one piece suit and slide around the stage like a snake. He could also roll and light a cigarette with his lips, and shave, write and paint using his mouth. In 1932 he also featured in the controversial MGM film – Freaks. He performed on stage for the last time at 63 years old and died shortly after of a heart attack.
Lobster boy
Lobster Boy Grady Stiles Jr was a sideshow freak who became a disturbingly grotesque murderer. Born amongst a family with the same genetic affliction, he was bound for freak show stardom. The lobster boy, who was part of the already sideshow performing lobster family had ectrodactyly, also known as lobster claw syndrome. As you would expect this made the fingers and thumbs fuse into claw like structures. Grady was especially affected as his feet also had claws.
The family were carnies, touring up and down America for carnival tours. However there was little to no act in their performance, and they were their merely to be stared at in morbid curiosity.
He would marry a young runaway named Maria who joined the circus as a staff member. He fathered four children one of which a girl name Donna did not carry the genetic mutation.
As the children grew he would become an abusive alcoholic who also beat his wife. He was cruel and enjoyed hurting and humiliating his family.
At the age of 15 Donna decided she would escape this torment and was engaged to 18 year old Jack Layne. But, Grady ended that plan with a shotgun – killing Jack on the eve of their wedding. As stated by morbidology he was quoted as saying “ I told you I would kill him” as Donnas fiancé lay dying in her arms.
Amazingly Grady escaped punishment as locking up a severely disabled person in a jail that could not accommodate him would be cruel and unusual punishment. He also had developed liver cirrhosis and emphysema leading to more reluctance towards his imprisonment. He was given 15 years probation, and set free.
Grady would re-marry and subject his new wife and children to even more torment. Bizarrely his wife divorced him and he re-married his first wife in 1989. Only a few years later his wife Maria would conspire to murder him. She hired neighbour Chris Wyant for $1,500 who would shoot and kill the lobster boy for good.
Elephant man
Joseph Merrick known the world over as the Elephant man is perhaps the most well-known circus freak. After his birth in England in 1862 he developed extreme growths all over his body in an as of yet mystery condition. His sickeningly enlarged head and limbs resembled that of an elephant which would later give him his name.
He started his side show career in 1884 after contacting music Hall owner Sam Torr. From here he would be transformed into travelling exhibit – The Elephant man. A man named Tom Norman took over management and took Merrick to London.
He caught the attention of local doctor Frederick Treves who examined the genetic monstrosity. He had a head circumference of 36 inches a wrist of 12 inches and one of his fingers had a circumference of 5 inches and was covered in warty skin growths. Due to the growths around his mouth he also struggled to speak.
He spent his last years in London hospital where he died in 1890 at the age of 27 of asphyxia. It was ruled that the extreme weight of his head dislocated his neck and he would suffocate from his injury.
Merrick was immortalised by actor John Hurt in the 1980 film Elephant man which was nominated for 8 Oscars.