1 00:00:00,040 --> 00:00:03,480 Speaker 1: M Hey everybody, it's Josh and for this week's select, 2 00:00:03,760 --> 00:00:07,600 Speaker 1: I'd chosen our March two thousand sixteen episode How Freak 3 00:00:07,640 --> 00:00:10,400 Speaker 1: Shows Worked. It's one of those episodes that turns out 4 00:00:10,440 --> 00:00:13,320 Speaker 1: to be more complicated and complex than you might expect. 5 00:00:13,840 --> 00:00:16,840 Speaker 1: And as an aside, a pre aside, I guess I'd 6 00:00:16,880 --> 00:00:19,720 Speaker 1: like to say rest in peace to Ronnie and Donnie Galleon, 7 00:00:19,960 --> 00:00:24,160 Speaker 1: who we lost in and who come up in this episode. Okay, 8 00:00:24,160 --> 00:00:28,240 Speaker 1: sit back, release your expectations, and enjoy this classic app 9 00:00:33,200 --> 00:00:36,000 Speaker 1: Welcome to Stuff you should know, a production of I 10 00:00:36,120 --> 00:00:45,720 Speaker 1: Heart Radio. Hey, and welcome to the podcast. I'm Josh Clark, 11 00:00:45,880 --> 00:00:50,760 Speaker 1: this shot Chuck, Bryan, Jerry, and this is stuff you 12 00:00:50,760 --> 00:00:53,840 Speaker 1: should have. You introde as if you were asleep and 13 00:00:53,880 --> 00:00:57,080 Speaker 1: I just walked by and poked you with a bold cue. 14 00:00:57,640 --> 00:00:59,160 Speaker 1: And that's your first thing you do, is you wake 15 00:00:59,240 --> 00:01:04,160 Speaker 1: up and just go, hey, welcome to the podcast. How 16 00:01:04,200 --> 00:01:09,840 Speaker 1: are you, sir man. I'm healing fine. Yeah, good, healing fine. 17 00:01:10,080 --> 00:01:14,360 Speaker 1: That's a Simpsons reference from what the Shining one? Oh yeah, 18 00:01:14,400 --> 00:01:21,160 Speaker 1: the shipping Classic. It's a good one. Um So, a 19 00:01:21,200 --> 00:01:24,720 Speaker 1: couple of quick matters of business, A little c o 20 00:01:24,800 --> 00:01:28,640 Speaker 1: A at the beginning, we're talking about freak shows, and 21 00:01:28,720 --> 00:01:32,679 Speaker 1: we will be saying freaks and things like that. That 22 00:01:32,800 --> 00:01:36,680 Speaker 1: is obviously an antiquated term. Yes, Um, but a lot 23 00:01:36,720 --> 00:01:38,440 Speaker 1: of there are a lot of quotes in here and 24 00:01:38,480 --> 00:01:42,600 Speaker 1: a lot of references to uh, freaks and midgets and 25 00:01:42,680 --> 00:01:45,720 Speaker 1: pin heads and all these awful terms that they used 26 00:01:45,720 --> 00:01:48,680 Speaker 1: to call these people that had, you know, physical deformities 27 00:01:48,680 --> 00:01:53,320 Speaker 1: and maladies. Um, so it's not us speaking. This is 28 00:01:53,360 --> 00:01:58,120 Speaker 1: a historic in historical context. Yeah, Like we get the insensitivity. Yeah, 29 00:01:58,760 --> 00:02:01,480 Speaker 1: we're not us. We're not We're not being insensitive. Here's 30 00:02:02,160 --> 00:02:03,880 Speaker 1: uh and we want to shout out if you We 31 00:02:04,040 --> 00:02:06,440 Speaker 1: used a couple of house Stoff how stuff it Works, 32 00:02:06,800 --> 00:02:09,919 Speaker 1: How Stuff Works articles as well as one from History 33 00:02:09,960 --> 00:02:15,040 Speaker 1: Magazine by Laura Grande Priceonomics. Zachary Crockett wrote one, and 34 00:02:15,360 --> 00:02:16,760 Speaker 1: who I have to say, I'm a fan of that 35 00:02:16,880 --> 00:02:19,360 Speaker 1: dude's work. Yeah, it was a good articles Priceonomics. He's 36 00:02:19,400 --> 00:02:23,600 Speaker 1: written some really interesting articles, agreed. And then one from 37 00:02:23,720 --> 00:02:26,240 Speaker 1: human Marvels dot com, which is just a good website 38 00:02:27,200 --> 00:02:35,120 Speaker 1: by j tithonus pit now and then pronounced right p 39 00:02:35,320 --> 00:02:39,040 Speaker 1: E D in a U D. Yeah that's a tough one, now, Yeah, 40 00:02:39,080 --> 00:02:42,079 Speaker 1: I assume that d is silent or maybe not, maybe 41 00:02:42,120 --> 00:02:50,040 Speaker 1: it's ped now pay nodee huh freaky and a couple 42 00:02:50,080 --> 00:02:52,960 Speaker 1: of other places we visited, so and everyone kind of 43 00:02:52,960 --> 00:02:55,680 Speaker 1: says the same thing. But it's a nice, well rounded thing. 44 00:02:55,760 --> 00:02:58,360 Speaker 1: I think. Yeah, well they I mean, we're talking about 45 00:02:58,400 --> 00:03:00,600 Speaker 1: the history of freak shows and there's only you know, 46 00:03:00,880 --> 00:03:05,120 Speaker 1: one history. Certain things happen, and we found we found 47 00:03:05,200 --> 00:03:09,720 Speaker 1: very quickly that like you can't extract um freak shows 48 00:03:09,880 --> 00:03:13,400 Speaker 1: from P. T. Barnum or vice versa. Like they they 49 00:03:13,400 --> 00:03:17,480 Speaker 1: they are inextricably bound. But freak shows UM, you know, 50 00:03:17,520 --> 00:03:20,680 Speaker 1: Barnum was working in the nineteenth century. But the concept 51 00:03:20,720 --> 00:03:25,080 Speaker 1: of freak shows, which um is basically someone who is 52 00:03:25,280 --> 00:03:28,760 Speaker 1: a human curiosity and that could be someone who was 53 00:03:28,800 --> 00:03:33,440 Speaker 1: born with a genetic deformity, of physical deformity UM, some 54 00:03:33,520 --> 00:03:39,720 Speaker 1: sort of mental incapacity UM, or some people have turned 55 00:03:39,720 --> 00:03:43,960 Speaker 1: themselves into human curiosity stay through the wonder of tattooing 56 00:03:44,200 --> 00:03:47,800 Speaker 1: or um learning to swallow swords or something like. Yeah, 57 00:03:47,840 --> 00:03:52,600 Speaker 1: we're like these days body modification like the gym Rose Show, 58 00:03:52,760 --> 00:03:55,160 Speaker 1: or there's one in Coney Island still that does a 59 00:03:55,800 --> 00:03:59,200 Speaker 1: like a traditional show. Yeah, side show by the seashore. 60 00:03:59,760 --> 00:04:03,360 Speaker 1: All So a great song by Luna, one of my 61 00:04:03,360 --> 00:04:07,360 Speaker 1: favorite bands. Um So, the the whole concept of this, 62 00:04:07,480 --> 00:04:12,480 Speaker 1: of having a human curiosity and um basically charging gawkers 63 00:04:12,520 --> 00:04:15,760 Speaker 1: to look at it, it dates back quite a way. 64 00:04:16,120 --> 00:04:20,240 Speaker 1: Um well, actually not that far. The sixteenth century. That's 65 00:04:20,240 --> 00:04:22,680 Speaker 1: pretty far. Yeah, I guess so. But you would think like, well, 66 00:04:22,720 --> 00:04:25,080 Speaker 1: the Greeks or the Romans did this, but apparently no, 67 00:04:25,320 --> 00:04:30,320 Speaker 1: everybody was fairly Um from what I understand, everybody just 68 00:04:30,400 --> 00:04:34,440 Speaker 1: kind of steered clear of human curiosities to that point. Yeah, 69 00:04:34,440 --> 00:04:37,080 Speaker 1: I think people feared them, right. They were locked away 70 00:04:37,120 --> 00:04:40,240 Speaker 1: mainly because they thought it was some evil curse or 71 00:04:40,360 --> 00:04:43,000 Speaker 1: punishment from God, and this wasn't someone you wanted to 72 00:04:43,040 --> 00:04:46,200 Speaker 1: consort with. Else you might bring back, bring down the 73 00:04:46,200 --> 00:04:49,360 Speaker 1: wrath of God upon yourself. That's right. But like you said, 74 00:04:49,400 --> 00:04:51,520 Speaker 1: in the late fifteen, hundreds of people started to say, 75 00:04:51,560 --> 00:04:55,560 Speaker 1: you know what I'm curious about, um, someone with hair 76 00:04:55,640 --> 00:04:58,000 Speaker 1: growing all over their face. I'm curious about the human 77 00:04:58,040 --> 00:05:01,240 Speaker 1: curiosity exactly. And I know, I don't Chuck, I want 78 00:05:01,240 --> 00:05:03,600 Speaker 1: to say, I don't think it's coincidence that about this 79 00:05:03,680 --> 00:05:08,400 Speaker 1: time science was starting to spread throughout Europe. So the 80 00:05:08,440 --> 00:05:11,560 Speaker 1: idea that um, this was God's breath was was taking 81 00:05:11,600 --> 00:05:14,719 Speaker 1: a bit of a backseat to uh, this is a 82 00:05:14,839 --> 00:05:18,560 Speaker 1: human condition of some sort, Yes, but not so far 83 00:05:18,640 --> 00:05:21,039 Speaker 1: down the road of science to where there was this 84 00:05:21,160 --> 00:05:24,080 Speaker 1: intermediate period where they were got Dad, And as we'll 85 00:05:24,120 --> 00:05:27,159 Speaker 1: find out later, science would eventually take part in ending 86 00:05:27,200 --> 00:05:30,480 Speaker 1: the side shows. But it created them and it ended them. Yeah, 87 00:05:30,520 --> 00:05:32,240 Speaker 1: it's kind of neat, good way to look at it. 88 00:05:32,920 --> 00:05:36,160 Speaker 1: Uh So one of the first UM viewings are one 89 00:05:36,160 --> 00:05:39,159 Speaker 1: of the first people put on display, and you know 90 00:05:39,240 --> 00:05:42,560 Speaker 1: this is also going to be well, we'll get into 91 00:05:42,600 --> 00:05:44,880 Speaker 1: it later, but the morality of this is very up 92 00:05:44,880 --> 00:05:49,280 Speaker 1: and down with exploiting people and these people that would 93 00:05:49,279 --> 00:05:53,440 Speaker 1: normally be locked away actually having super lucrative careers long 94 00:05:53,520 --> 00:05:57,599 Speaker 1: lasting made them rich. Also, UM, I think one of 95 00:05:57,640 --> 00:06:00,760 Speaker 1: the authors, I think it was Crockett points out that UM, 96 00:06:00,800 --> 00:06:04,880 Speaker 1: there early on, if you were in a freak show, 97 00:06:05,160 --> 00:06:07,680 Speaker 1: there was a good chance that um, you had been 98 00:06:07,720 --> 00:06:10,679 Speaker 1: abandoned by your parents, became a ward of the state 99 00:06:11,000 --> 00:06:15,080 Speaker 1: and adopted by somebody who just ruthlessly exploited you and 100 00:06:15,160 --> 00:06:18,719 Speaker 1: maybe barely took care of you. But one thing you 101 00:06:18,760 --> 00:06:21,240 Speaker 1: can definitely say to his credit as Barnum came into 102 00:06:21,279 --> 00:06:25,520 Speaker 1: it and basically normalized or created an industry out of 103 00:06:25,560 --> 00:06:29,800 Speaker 1: freak shows or four freak shows. Um, conditions definitely changed 104 00:06:29,839 --> 00:06:33,920 Speaker 1: and the exploitation seems to have less in some way. Yeah. 105 00:06:34,000 --> 00:06:37,960 Speaker 1: I thinking that with the big names like Norman and Barnum, 106 00:06:38,240 --> 00:06:41,240 Speaker 1: I think there were all manner of minor side shows 107 00:06:41,279 --> 00:06:44,400 Speaker 1: that probably didn't treat them as well. Uh, And usually 108 00:06:44,720 --> 00:06:49,080 Speaker 1: Barnum and Norman bought their curiosities from those minor side 109 00:06:49,080 --> 00:06:52,760 Speaker 1: shows lesser showman exactly. So we're talking about Tom Norman 110 00:06:53,040 --> 00:06:56,400 Speaker 1: out of England. Yeah, they were basically counterparts. Yeah, and 111 00:06:56,480 --> 00:06:58,760 Speaker 1: what we'll get into them. But back to one of 112 00:06:58,800 --> 00:07:02,560 Speaker 1: the earliest um quote unquote freaks was a man named 113 00:07:02,640 --> 00:07:08,480 Speaker 1: Lazarus Colorado not Colorado, who was a conjoined twin. He 114 00:07:08,520 --> 00:07:11,760 Speaker 1: had a brother, Johannas, who was upside down on his 115 00:07:11,880 --> 00:07:17,080 Speaker 1: chest and technically it was a parasitic twin to Lazarus, Oh, 116 00:07:17,160 --> 00:07:22,400 Speaker 1: not conjoined twins. They were conjoined. But Johannes like didn't eat, okay, 117 00:07:22,480 --> 00:07:26,120 Speaker 1: he um, he could, he didn't speak, he never opened 118 00:07:26,160 --> 00:07:28,080 Speaker 1: his eyes, and apparently the only way you could get 119 00:07:28,080 --> 00:07:30,120 Speaker 1: a physical reaction out of him was if you rubbed 120 00:07:30,120 --> 00:07:32,560 Speaker 1: his chest that would make him squirm like Quaid and 121 00:07:32,760 --> 00:07:36,640 Speaker 1: total recall very much got you. So. Uh. He went 122 00:07:36,640 --> 00:07:39,840 Speaker 1: on tour performed before King Charles the First in the 123 00:07:39,840 --> 00:07:44,559 Speaker 1: early sixteen forties. But it was not a big deal. 124 00:07:44,640 --> 00:07:47,960 Speaker 1: It wasn't a super lucrative side shows weren't really a 125 00:07:48,000 --> 00:07:51,040 Speaker 1: thing at that point. But this guy was saying, Uh, 126 00:07:51,120 --> 00:07:54,239 Speaker 1: you guys are gonna ostracize me. Well, I'm gonna charge 127 00:07:54,280 --> 00:07:56,280 Speaker 1: you to look at me then, and I'm going to 128 00:07:56,320 --> 00:07:59,960 Speaker 1: support myself and my brother doing this. He did at himself. 129 00:08:00,080 --> 00:08:02,160 Speaker 1: If it's not clear whether he worked with a manager 130 00:08:02,240 --> 00:08:05,960 Speaker 1: or not or a promoter, but he definitely um made 131 00:08:06,040 --> 00:08:08,720 Speaker 1: his own choice to go do this, yes, exactly, and 132 00:08:08,760 --> 00:08:12,360 Speaker 1: he was apparently an otherwise handsome man. That's how everyone 133 00:08:12,440 --> 00:08:16,560 Speaker 1: described him, which I think probably for the Court Um 134 00:08:16,680 --> 00:08:19,640 Speaker 1: or Europe who who came and looked at him, uh, 135 00:08:19,880 --> 00:08:22,360 Speaker 1: probably just made it even more mind boggling, you know. 136 00:08:22,440 --> 00:08:25,760 Speaker 1: But he's a good guy, right right, you know? Uh. 137 00:08:26,000 --> 00:08:27,560 Speaker 1: P T. Barnum and I think we should do in 138 00:08:27,760 --> 00:08:30,200 Speaker 1: a whole podcast on P. T. Barnum at some point 139 00:08:30,720 --> 00:08:32,800 Speaker 1: to really close out the circus suite. Well, then we 140 00:08:32,800 --> 00:08:38,439 Speaker 1: shouldn't mention him again in the show No Barnum as 141 00:08:38,480 --> 00:08:41,920 Speaker 1: as a teenager. Uh, he always had a pinchant for 142 00:08:42,040 --> 00:08:44,240 Speaker 1: making money. He was one of those magnets sort of 143 00:08:44,280 --> 00:08:48,160 Speaker 1: weird ways. Uh. He ran his own lottery as a teenager, 144 00:08:49,040 --> 00:08:51,200 Speaker 1: UM in Connecticut, and he said, here's what I'll do. 145 00:08:51,280 --> 00:08:56,440 Speaker 1: I can just sell these tickets. I'll give out prizes 146 00:08:56,480 --> 00:09:03,240 Speaker 1: in varying levels from is on down to cents and 147 00:09:03,440 --> 00:09:07,079 Speaker 1: uh yeah and um. But it was a very well 148 00:09:07,080 --> 00:09:08,960 Speaker 1: thought out for a teenager. He wasn't just like just 149 00:09:09,040 --> 00:09:12,080 Speaker 1: one prize. He'd spread it out so he would entice 150 00:09:12,080 --> 00:09:15,040 Speaker 1: people to play more. Uh. And he actually made a 151 00:09:15,080 --> 00:09:17,760 Speaker 1: lot of money from it until they outlawed the lottery. 152 00:09:17,920 --> 00:09:20,960 Speaker 1: He's making like eleven grand in today's dollars a week 153 00:09:21,240 --> 00:09:25,360 Speaker 1: as a teenager. Yeah, nineteen not bad. But then Connecticut 154 00:09:25,400 --> 00:09:27,240 Speaker 1: and the rest of the country said no more lotteries 155 00:09:27,240 --> 00:09:30,360 Speaker 1: for now. Um. We'll bring that back up later though, 156 00:09:30,400 --> 00:09:35,080 Speaker 1: don't you worry. T B C And Um. He had 157 00:09:35,120 --> 00:09:38,120 Speaker 1: to find other ways to make work, moved to New 158 00:09:38,200 --> 00:09:42,160 Speaker 1: York City and in eighteen thirty five, Um he had 159 00:09:42,240 --> 00:09:43,839 Speaker 1: You know, England is where a lot of this started. 160 00:09:43,880 --> 00:09:46,160 Speaker 1: We'll talk about Norman in a second, but he got 161 00:09:46,160 --> 00:09:48,079 Speaker 1: his queue from England, said here's what I'm gonna do. 162 00:09:48,080 --> 00:09:51,160 Speaker 1: I'm gonna buy a person, gonna buy my first freak 163 00:09:52,040 --> 00:09:56,000 Speaker 1: uh this blind paralyzed slave woman and this is a 164 00:09:56,040 --> 00:09:58,080 Speaker 1: hallmark of freak shows. As I'm gonna make up a 165 00:09:58,120 --> 00:10:01,680 Speaker 1: story about her that's since a l and crazy like 166 00:10:01,720 --> 00:10:03,839 Speaker 1: a Ripley's believe it or not kind of thing, right 167 00:10:03,880 --> 00:10:07,480 Speaker 1: and and Barnum in particular was well known for just 168 00:10:07,600 --> 00:10:10,440 Speaker 1: taking these things to the nth degree, like, sure, no 169 00:10:10,480 --> 00:10:13,560 Speaker 1: one's gonna buy that, but he could sell it in 170 00:10:13,600 --> 00:10:16,640 Speaker 1: such a way that people believed it because they were 171 00:10:17,280 --> 00:10:21,959 Speaker 1: exponentially dumber back then. Uh. He The story for her 172 00:10:22,040 --> 00:10:23,960 Speaker 1: was that she was a hundred and sixty years old, 173 00:10:24,679 --> 00:10:27,840 Speaker 1: was George Washington's nurse. Uh and you can pay to 174 00:10:27,880 --> 00:10:30,559 Speaker 1: see her, when in fact she was only eighty years old. 175 00:10:31,080 --> 00:10:35,120 Speaker 1: She was half that age. Yeah, and her name was 176 00:10:35,200 --> 00:10:38,040 Speaker 1: Joyce Heath, and she was just an old lady, right, Yeah, 177 00:10:38,080 --> 00:10:39,920 Speaker 1: she was an old slave woman who was paralyzed and 178 00:10:40,000 --> 00:10:43,400 Speaker 1: blind and was being exploited by P. T. Barnum in 179 00:10:43,440 --> 00:10:47,200 Speaker 1: the year before her death. So she dies um, but 180 00:10:47,280 --> 00:10:51,440 Speaker 1: before then, like as he's touting her as this hundred 181 00:10:51,480 --> 00:10:55,400 Speaker 1: and six year old former nurse made to George Washington Um. 182 00:10:55,480 --> 00:10:58,000 Speaker 1: That gets an initial reaction, and then ticket sales drop. 183 00:10:58,240 --> 00:11:01,920 Speaker 1: And then PiZZ Barnum did something quite smart. He wrote 184 00:11:01,960 --> 00:11:06,559 Speaker 1: an anonymous letter to a Boston newspaper and accused himself 185 00:11:07,000 --> 00:11:10,960 Speaker 1: of being a fraud and saying that the the hundred 186 00:11:10,960 --> 00:11:13,319 Speaker 1: and sixty year old woman was a fake, that she 187 00:11:13,679 --> 00:11:18,120 Speaker 1: was actually a machine, a robot made of whale skin 188 00:11:18,800 --> 00:11:23,200 Speaker 1: and would and ticket sales went right through the roof. Again. Man, 189 00:11:23,320 --> 00:11:26,640 Speaker 1: what a guy. There should be a good movie about him. 190 00:11:26,760 --> 00:11:29,160 Speaker 1: I can't believe there's not, like a modern one. I'm 191 00:11:29,160 --> 00:11:32,600 Speaker 1: sure there is, you know, surely, like the What's the one? 192 00:11:32,640 --> 00:11:34,760 Speaker 1: The Greatest Show on Earth was a movie? Right, and 193 00:11:34,760 --> 00:11:37,520 Speaker 1: that like a Griffith movie or something, That's what I mean. 194 00:11:37,559 --> 00:11:41,880 Speaker 1: But like Tom Cruise should play him, yeah, and should 195 00:11:41,880 --> 00:11:44,640 Speaker 1: be directed by Michael Bay Russell Crow should No, not 196 00:11:44,760 --> 00:11:49,960 Speaker 1: Russell Crowe. Well, how about who could play p T. Barnum? 197 00:11:50,200 --> 00:11:52,240 Speaker 1: You know who who? He would be good at it, 198 00:11:52,240 --> 00:11:56,160 Speaker 1: but would just be so him? Sam Rockwell, oh totally, 199 00:11:56,320 --> 00:11:59,400 Speaker 1: he could play anything. So I'd rather see somebody even 200 00:11:59,480 --> 00:12:05,680 Speaker 1: broader playing him. Yeah, I heard research, go ahead, Gina, 201 00:12:05,720 --> 00:12:12,800 Speaker 1: who would end up playing him is freaking Hugh Jackman. Yeah, yeah, 202 00:12:12,880 --> 00:12:15,680 Speaker 1: because he can do cartwheels. Yeah, what were you going 203 00:12:15,720 --> 00:12:19,200 Speaker 1: to say? Somebody? It might have been during the Bill 204 00:12:19,240 --> 00:12:22,679 Speaker 1: Gates interview or something yesterday that somebody said that, No, 205 00:12:22,760 --> 00:12:26,320 Speaker 1: it's unseen it. Tom Hanks is the most trusted person 206 00:12:26,400 --> 00:12:30,040 Speaker 1: in America. Like for some Pole found that, Like, the 207 00:12:30,080 --> 00:12:32,680 Speaker 1: most trusted person in America is Tom Hanks. Were we 208 00:12:32,720 --> 00:12:36,520 Speaker 1: on the list? I don't think so. Sure, you gotta 209 00:12:36,559 --> 00:12:40,680 Speaker 1: trust on We're not even Also rans were never rans? Alright, 210 00:12:40,800 --> 00:12:45,800 Speaker 1: So he purchased that woman what was her name, Joyce 211 00:12:45,840 --> 00:12:49,600 Speaker 1: heth j O I c E H T H for 212 00:12:49,679 --> 00:12:53,880 Speaker 1: a thousand dollars and he made about that every week. Um, 213 00:12:53,920 --> 00:12:57,000 Speaker 1: from exploiting her. I imagined that she got very little 214 00:12:57,040 --> 00:13:00,079 Speaker 1: of that. Yeah, although you can't necessarily say that I 215 00:13:00,120 --> 00:13:04,880 Speaker 1: didn't see what she was paid, she was very likely paid, 216 00:13:05,800 --> 00:13:10,320 Speaker 1: and she was probably fairly well taken care of, especially 217 00:13:10,360 --> 00:13:14,480 Speaker 1: considering um that she probably just and this is based 218 00:13:14,480 --> 00:13:18,440 Speaker 1: on how Barnum treated other people later in a documented manner. 219 00:13:18,760 --> 00:13:23,160 Speaker 1: But um, he I don't want to say he rescued 220 00:13:23,160 --> 00:13:26,120 Speaker 1: her from slavery because she went from being a slave 221 00:13:26,160 --> 00:13:30,200 Speaker 1: to being owned by somebody who exhibited her. Um, but 222 00:13:31,440 --> 00:13:34,640 Speaker 1: it's not a guarantee or a given that her situation 223 00:13:34,679 --> 00:13:39,760 Speaker 1: got worse after she she was purchased by Barnum. Right, 224 00:13:40,240 --> 00:13:43,040 Speaker 1: does that make sense? Man? That felt like a minefield 225 00:13:43,080 --> 00:13:47,240 Speaker 1: I was walking through talking about slavery, human exploitation, a 226 00:13:47,280 --> 00:13:51,360 Speaker 1: blind woman who was also paralyzed. Good, good luck, sir 227 00:13:52,240 --> 00:13:55,120 Speaker 1: Um his first big hoax after that? Or uh? Well, 228 00:13:55,160 --> 00:13:56,880 Speaker 1: actually I guess it wasn't a hoax aside from the 229 00:13:56,920 --> 00:13:59,320 Speaker 1: made up story. But um, he had a real hope. 230 00:13:59,440 --> 00:14:02,880 Speaker 1: It was a hope. Well I hope, sure, um, but 231 00:14:02,920 --> 00:14:06,040 Speaker 1: this was a hoax in two because it was nothing 232 00:14:06,040 --> 00:14:08,920 Speaker 1: about it was real. He was promoting something called the 233 00:14:08,920 --> 00:14:13,760 Speaker 1: Fiji Mermaid, which was basically rogue taxidermy as all it was. 234 00:14:13,800 --> 00:14:16,480 Speaker 1: That's exactly what it was. It was a creature with 235 00:14:16,520 --> 00:14:17,800 Speaker 1: a head of a monkey and the tail of a 236 00:14:17,880 --> 00:14:21,520 Speaker 1: fish that he bought from Japanese sailors. Well he didn't. 237 00:14:21,640 --> 00:14:23,680 Speaker 1: He got it from a sailor who bought it from 238 00:14:23,720 --> 00:14:26,800 Speaker 1: jail right, and actually it was Japanese fisherman. Yeah, and 239 00:14:26,800 --> 00:14:29,280 Speaker 1: he well what's the difference. Well, they're like traditional they 240 00:14:29,320 --> 00:14:33,040 Speaker 1: didn't necessarily go to see they were like islanders and 241 00:14:33,080 --> 00:14:36,280 Speaker 1: this is like traditional art for them, folk art. Okay, 242 00:14:37,200 --> 00:14:40,800 Speaker 1: so not a sailor but fisherman, right, that's ped entry 243 00:14:40,800 --> 00:14:45,280 Speaker 1: one oh one. Sorry man, uh gets so fixated on things. 244 00:14:45,440 --> 00:14:50,000 Speaker 1: Yeah uh. And he leased it um for twelve fifty 245 00:14:50,040 --> 00:14:54,160 Speaker 1: a week twelve dollars and fifty cents um from from 246 00:14:54,160 --> 00:14:57,480 Speaker 1: the owners have said rogue taxidermy. And he tried he 247 00:14:57,760 --> 00:15:00,480 Speaker 1: print up pamphlets and tried to convince everyone it was 248 00:15:00,520 --> 00:15:03,920 Speaker 1: some real thing. So he he actually had a um 249 00:15:03,960 --> 00:15:08,760 Speaker 1: a partner named Levi what was Levi's name? He's definitely 250 00:15:08,760 --> 00:15:13,360 Speaker 1: an overlooked guy, Levi Lyman. Can you imagine like being P. T. 251 00:15:13,480 --> 00:15:16,880 Speaker 1: Barnum's partner, Like you'd never be in the spotlight, right, 252 00:15:17,200 --> 00:15:21,000 Speaker 1: So Levi Lyman posed as a English doctor, a scientist 253 00:15:21,440 --> 00:15:26,440 Speaker 1: who was in possession of this mermaid, and UM P. T. 254 00:15:26,560 --> 00:15:29,320 Speaker 1: Barnum very publicly was trying to get his hands on 255 00:15:29,360 --> 00:15:31,800 Speaker 1: the mermaid, and this guy was very publicly resisting him 256 00:15:31,840 --> 00:15:33,480 Speaker 1: because it was a man of science and this was 257 00:15:33,520 --> 00:15:36,880 Speaker 1: the real deal. And it helps just convince everybody, including 258 00:15:36,880 --> 00:15:39,640 Speaker 1: the newspapers, that like this is the genuine article and 259 00:15:39,760 --> 00:15:44,360 Speaker 1: just rubes nation a world of rubes. It seems like 260 00:15:45,120 --> 00:15:47,760 Speaker 1: he ended up opening up a museum on Broadway in 261 00:15:47,800 --> 00:15:51,440 Speaker 1: New York City in the forties, you know, sort of 262 00:15:51,480 --> 00:15:53,120 Speaker 1: you know, like a Ripley's Believe it or not kind 263 00:15:53,160 --> 00:15:56,400 Speaker 1: of thing, curiosities and weird things. Yeah, that's that was 264 00:15:56,640 --> 00:15:59,560 Speaker 1: his stock in trade. Uh. And then we should talk 265 00:15:59,560 --> 00:16:04,840 Speaker 1: about his counterpart in England, Um, Tom Norman. Yeah, Tommy Norman, 266 00:16:05,920 --> 00:16:09,360 Speaker 1: Tommy Norman. Uh. He was named the Silver King and 267 00:16:09,400 --> 00:16:12,840 Speaker 1: Barnum actually gave him that name apparently after meeting him, 268 00:16:12,880 --> 00:16:16,080 Speaker 1: and he said, boy, what a huge silver showy silver 269 00:16:16,120 --> 00:16:18,880 Speaker 1: watch you have there. You're the Silver King. He goes, 270 00:16:18,920 --> 00:16:20,880 Speaker 1: I am the Silver King. I've been waiting my whole 271 00:16:20,920 --> 00:16:24,640 Speaker 1: life for somebody to notice exactly. So he was doing 272 00:16:24,680 --> 00:16:28,680 Speaker 1: the same thing in England. Uh. And he he actually, um, 273 00:16:28,760 --> 00:16:32,880 Speaker 1: he toured with Joseph Merrick, the Elephant Man. Yeah, and 274 00:16:32,880 --> 00:16:36,040 Speaker 1: he got um castigated by a lot of people saying, 275 00:16:36,040 --> 00:16:39,640 Speaker 1: you're exploiting this guy John Merrick. And is it John 276 00:16:39,720 --> 00:16:42,440 Speaker 1: or Joseph? What I say, John? Yeah? And it's like 277 00:16:42,480 --> 00:16:45,560 Speaker 1: an ongoing thing. Oh is it? Yeah? I can't remember 278 00:16:45,600 --> 00:16:48,600 Speaker 1: if it's well, let's find out. No, it's Joseph for sure. 279 00:16:48,640 --> 00:16:52,200 Speaker 1: I just misspoke. Oh sorry. Um. He was attacked in 280 00:16:52,560 --> 00:16:57,360 Speaker 1: specifically in a memoir by Dr Frederick Treeves uh called 281 00:16:57,400 --> 00:17:01,400 Speaker 1: The Elephant Man and other Reminiscences. Uh. And he shot 282 00:17:01,480 --> 00:17:03,800 Speaker 1: back and he said, you know what, I haven't mistreated Merrick, 283 00:17:04,000 --> 00:17:07,520 Speaker 1: haven't abused him. He wasn't forced to do anything. And 284 00:17:07,560 --> 00:17:09,879 Speaker 1: he said, in fact, the big majority of showmen are 285 00:17:09,920 --> 00:17:12,199 Speaker 1: in the habit of treating their novelties as human beings 286 00:17:12,680 --> 00:17:14,679 Speaker 1: and in a large number of cases as one of 287 00:17:14,720 --> 00:17:19,200 Speaker 1: their own, not like beasts. Right. So you know the 288 00:17:19,920 --> 00:17:23,240 Speaker 1: morality battle was being waged even back then. Yeah, And 289 00:17:23,280 --> 00:17:27,280 Speaker 1: I mean if you you think about um, this time 290 00:17:27,320 --> 00:17:31,160 Speaker 1: when people would go look at people who had physical 291 00:17:31,200 --> 00:17:34,639 Speaker 1: deformities and pay for it. Just look at him to 292 00:17:34,760 --> 00:17:37,320 Speaker 1: standing there, you think, well, the whole world was pretty 293 00:17:37,359 --> 00:17:41,320 Speaker 1: evil and a moral at the time. Not necessarily true. 294 00:17:41,359 --> 00:17:44,879 Speaker 1: There's a um a lot of people who railed against 295 00:17:44,960 --> 00:17:47,960 Speaker 1: this stuff, like Frederick Treeve's who was um. He was 296 00:17:48,000 --> 00:17:52,240 Speaker 1: portrayed by Anthony Hopkins, right, isn't that him? Oh? I 297 00:17:52,240 --> 00:17:54,639 Speaker 1: don't know, Yeah, he was in The Elephant Man, the movie. 298 00:17:54,720 --> 00:17:57,480 Speaker 1: Oh was he actually Merrick's doctor? Yes, Okay, I didn't 299 00:17:57,480 --> 00:18:01,040 Speaker 1: know that. Yeah, yeah, man, that movie. David Lynch, God 300 00:18:01,119 --> 00:18:03,800 Speaker 1: One of the best ever um And then there was 301 00:18:03,840 --> 00:18:06,879 Speaker 1: an historian who at the time, I think in like 302 00:18:06,920 --> 00:18:10,600 Speaker 1: the eighteen sixties he wrote his name was Henry Mayhew, 303 00:18:10,640 --> 00:18:13,080 Speaker 1: and in eighteen sixty when he was British, he wrote 304 00:18:13,119 --> 00:18:16,920 Speaker 1: that that these freak shows were nothing more than human degradation. 305 00:18:17,520 --> 00:18:19,480 Speaker 1: And he said something that stuck out to meet Chuck. 306 00:18:20,600 --> 00:18:23,320 Speaker 1: He said that the men who preside over these infamous 307 00:18:23,359 --> 00:18:26,399 Speaker 1: places know too well the failings of their audience. And 308 00:18:26,440 --> 00:18:28,440 Speaker 1: I think he really hit the nail on the head 309 00:18:28,840 --> 00:18:32,280 Speaker 1: by he wasn't accusing the showman because I think he 310 00:18:32,359 --> 00:18:36,320 Speaker 1: understood that most of these people were just under contract, 311 00:18:37,280 --> 00:18:41,600 Speaker 1: and he wasn't accusing the people, the actual human curiosities, 312 00:18:41,640 --> 00:18:45,359 Speaker 1: the freaks themselves. He was rightly placing the blame for 313 00:18:45,400 --> 00:18:48,360 Speaker 1: all this on the observers, the gawkers. Like if there 314 00:18:48,400 --> 00:18:50,560 Speaker 1: wasn't a market for it, they wouldn't be doing it. Yeah, 315 00:18:50,680 --> 00:18:53,480 Speaker 1: Like you're the one who is having the moral failing, 316 00:18:53,480 --> 00:18:56,119 Speaker 1: who's paying to go see this person who may or 317 00:18:56,160 --> 00:19:00,160 Speaker 1: may not be exploited you don't know, And uh, it's 318 00:19:00,200 --> 00:19:03,919 Speaker 1: really on you audience. Yeah, it's pretty Uh it's a 319 00:19:03,920 --> 00:19:05,680 Speaker 1: lot of foresight for back then I thought so too. 320 00:19:05,720 --> 00:19:08,160 Speaker 1: So it's not like the point was. It's not like 321 00:19:08,720 --> 00:19:11,199 Speaker 1: everybody was just going along with this. People have had 322 00:19:11,240 --> 00:19:13,680 Speaker 1: a problem with it basically the whole time freak shows 323 00:19:13,680 --> 00:19:16,280 Speaker 1: were around, right. All right, Well, let's take a break 324 00:19:16,320 --> 00:19:19,359 Speaker 1: and we'll talk a little bit more about the evolution 325 00:19:19,440 --> 00:19:52,280 Speaker 1: of the side show. Right after this, we're back. I 326 00:19:52,440 --> 00:19:58,439 Speaker 1: brought my pencil. What's up? Seven? Right on? Man? I 327 00:19:58,480 --> 00:20:01,359 Speaker 1: didn't get that at first. You. I'm impressed that you 328 00:20:01,400 --> 00:20:05,840 Speaker 1: did get it. Yeah. Nice. Uh. That was from Van 329 00:20:05,880 --> 00:20:10,680 Speaker 1: Halen's popular song Hot for Teacher from and we are 330 00:20:10,680 --> 00:20:16,320 Speaker 1: now nineteen eighties DJs. Uh. So the side shows became 331 00:20:16,359 --> 00:20:18,679 Speaker 1: a legitimate thing, a big way to make money. There 332 00:20:18,720 --> 00:20:21,199 Speaker 1: were different kinds. Um. There was one called a tin 333 00:20:21,280 --> 00:20:24,120 Speaker 1: in one show, which I believe the sides side show 334 00:20:24,160 --> 00:20:28,120 Speaker 1: by the Sea Shore is today. You did it through 335 00:20:28,160 --> 00:20:30,679 Speaker 1: my missing tooth, uh. And that is when you have 336 00:20:30,840 --> 00:20:34,639 Speaker 1: ten people on display on a platform at once and 337 00:20:34,640 --> 00:20:37,159 Speaker 1: people just walk by and look at them. It's not 338 00:20:37,320 --> 00:20:40,240 Speaker 1: like a performance. It's just there's a bearded lady, there's 339 00:20:40,280 --> 00:20:43,360 Speaker 1: the dog faced boy, there's the tattooed man, and they're 340 00:20:43,359 --> 00:20:45,960 Speaker 1: all of a standing there. That's a tin and one 341 00:20:47,359 --> 00:20:50,440 Speaker 1: yokel uh. They had things, and this was all to 342 00:20:51,000 --> 00:20:54,560 Speaker 1: to drum up more money. They would advertise something as 343 00:20:54,560 --> 00:20:58,280 Speaker 1: an adults only or a man only even performance, well 344 00:20:58,320 --> 00:21:02,159 Speaker 1: the men only performance Freak Only had a stripper you 345 00:21:02,200 --> 00:21:06,760 Speaker 1: know yeah. Um, or stuff that they thought that were 346 00:21:06,840 --> 00:21:10,359 Speaker 1: just like a woman shouldn't see or children shouldn't see. 347 00:21:10,520 --> 00:21:11,760 Speaker 1: I don't know if it was as much of that 348 00:21:11,800 --> 00:21:13,640 Speaker 1: as if it was to just trump up, like, oh 349 00:21:13,680 --> 00:21:16,440 Speaker 1: my god, it's so bad that a woman can't see 350 00:21:16,560 --> 00:21:18,920 Speaker 1: lay her eyes upon it. I see. Um. I think 351 00:21:18,920 --> 00:21:22,280 Speaker 1: it was all part of the show. Uh, that's my feeling. 352 00:21:22,320 --> 00:21:24,560 Speaker 1: At least. One of the things that they displayed were 353 00:21:24,600 --> 00:21:29,440 Speaker 1: something called a pickled punk, which is awful. It is, 354 00:21:29,560 --> 00:21:32,720 Speaker 1: especially when you find out what it is. Yeah, it's 355 00:21:32,720 --> 00:21:37,720 Speaker 1: basically a an abnormal fetus in a formaldehyde in a jar. 356 00:21:38,560 --> 00:21:40,800 Speaker 1: And you could go by and look at pickled punks 357 00:21:40,880 --> 00:21:44,280 Speaker 1: and gaulk at them for money. It's it's awful. Yeah, 358 00:21:44,320 --> 00:21:49,000 Speaker 1: this is what people did, like on Saturday night in Kansas. 359 00:21:49,080 --> 00:21:52,720 Speaker 1: So um. The the usually this this side shows of 360 00:21:52,760 --> 00:21:56,840 Speaker 1: the Freak shows. At first, they were you would be 361 00:21:56,960 --> 00:22:02,320 Speaker 1: some enterprising entrepreneur in some small town and you would 362 00:22:02,400 --> 00:22:07,719 Speaker 1: notice that a little youngster had um, a third leg, okay, 363 00:22:07,960 --> 00:22:11,040 Speaker 1: and you your thought was, I can really make some 364 00:22:11,119 --> 00:22:13,320 Speaker 1: money with this kid to go to their parents. And 365 00:22:13,320 --> 00:22:17,040 Speaker 1: you'd say, I will give you of all of the 366 00:22:17,080 --> 00:22:19,840 Speaker 1: earnings of your child if you let me take him 367 00:22:19,880 --> 00:22:21,439 Speaker 1: on the road and he will stay in the finest 368 00:22:21,480 --> 00:22:24,040 Speaker 1: hotels and we're the best clothes and as the human 369 00:22:24,880 --> 00:22:28,600 Speaker 1: exactly and uh, the he will become famous in the world, 370 00:22:28,640 --> 00:22:31,280 Speaker 1: will love him. Uh, just let me handle it. I'm 371 00:22:31,280 --> 00:22:33,639 Speaker 1: going to be as manager from now on. And the 372 00:22:33,720 --> 00:22:36,960 Speaker 1: parents would very frequently, especially if they were poor, would say, 373 00:22:37,160 --> 00:22:40,960 Speaker 1: that's great, do that give me some money upfront? Though, 374 00:22:40,960 --> 00:22:43,280 Speaker 1: by the way, yeah, especially because a lot of times 375 00:22:43,440 --> 00:22:45,320 Speaker 1: some of these people were a burden on their family 376 00:22:45,800 --> 00:22:48,520 Speaker 1: because of their health condition, so they were happy to 377 00:22:48,560 --> 00:22:50,920 Speaker 1: be rid of them. That's all very sad, okay. So 378 00:22:51,160 --> 00:22:53,800 Speaker 1: that's how That's how it definitely started out. And then 379 00:22:53,920 --> 00:22:56,560 Speaker 1: and it went on like that, um for a very 380 00:22:56,600 --> 00:22:59,119 Speaker 1: long time as well. But once borne him and not 381 00:22:59,359 --> 00:23:01,560 Speaker 1: a Norman and some of the other guys, the big 382 00:23:01,560 --> 00:23:04,680 Speaker 1: guys came around, they would just basically keep an eye 383 00:23:04,720 --> 00:23:06,520 Speaker 1: out for that kind of thing, or they would be 384 00:23:06,560 --> 00:23:10,040 Speaker 1: approached by these guys who would essentially be middleman kind 385 00:23:10,040 --> 00:23:13,679 Speaker 1: of like, um, somebody who discovered a boy band selling 386 00:23:13,720 --> 00:23:17,040 Speaker 1: their contract to a bigger record company. But this was 387 00:23:17,080 --> 00:23:20,480 Speaker 1: with human curiosity, people with the third leg or hyper 388 00:23:20,560 --> 00:23:24,080 Speaker 1: trichosis or what have you. UM. And then Barnum would 389 00:23:24,080 --> 00:23:27,639 Speaker 1: take him and would would just take whatever exaggerated origin 390 00:23:27,720 --> 00:23:30,000 Speaker 1: story that they came with and just throw it out 391 00:23:30,200 --> 00:23:33,520 Speaker 1: and come up with one ten times more. Uh. And 392 00:23:33,800 --> 00:23:40,800 Speaker 1: after his uh, George Washington's nurse made Joyce heth diede Washington, right, 393 00:23:41,040 --> 00:23:44,960 Speaker 1: he started looking around for his next collaborator, if you 394 00:23:44,960 --> 00:23:47,840 Speaker 1: could call him that, UM. And he found out that 395 00:23:47,840 --> 00:23:50,840 Speaker 1: he had a distant cousin, a fifth cousin UM named 396 00:23:50,920 --> 00:23:55,520 Speaker 1: Charles Stratton, who had stopped growing when he was about 397 00:23:56,040 --> 00:24:00,119 Speaker 1: two years old. Yeah. He he never completely stopped. He 398 00:24:00,160 --> 00:24:03,080 Speaker 1: grew very slowly. Yeah. He made it to like just 399 00:24:03,119 --> 00:24:05,320 Speaker 1: over three feet I think by the time of his death. Yeah. 400 00:24:05,359 --> 00:24:07,080 Speaker 1: He died at forty five of a stroke and he 401 00:24:07,119 --> 00:24:12,640 Speaker 1: was three point three five ft tall. UM, but grew 402 00:24:12,680 --> 00:24:14,800 Speaker 1: so slowly. I mean you know he was He was 403 00:24:15,480 --> 00:24:20,120 Speaker 1: General Tom Thumb, very famously renamed General Tom Thumb by 404 00:24:20,200 --> 00:24:25,600 Speaker 1: his half fifth twice removed cousin. Uh PT what does 405 00:24:25,600 --> 00:24:31,440 Speaker 1: that stand? For even Paul Thomas Anderson bar Uh. So 406 00:24:31,480 --> 00:24:34,000 Speaker 1: he said, you know what, this is great. Um, you 407 00:24:34,040 --> 00:24:37,840 Speaker 1: were a small person and you're cute as the Dickens, 408 00:24:38,160 --> 00:24:41,000 Speaker 1: So let me dress you up in little adult suits 409 00:24:41,760 --> 00:24:45,000 Speaker 1: and you're my new side kick. Yeah that he he 410 00:24:45,200 --> 00:24:48,200 Speaker 1: collaborated with the kid's dad and said, let's, um, let's 411 00:24:48,200 --> 00:24:52,000 Speaker 1: make some money. Uh and he Um, he taught him 412 00:24:52,000 --> 00:24:55,200 Speaker 1: how to sing and dance, pretend he was Napoleon. Yeah, 413 00:24:55,240 --> 00:24:59,000 Speaker 1: he did impressions Cupid. He played Cupid sometimes. And then 414 00:24:59,040 --> 00:25:01,200 Speaker 1: he told everybody that this little five year old kid 415 00:25:01,240 --> 00:25:03,879 Speaker 1: was actually eleven, which made it all the more astounding 416 00:25:03,920 --> 00:25:06,359 Speaker 1: that he was that small, which she didn't even need 417 00:25:06,400 --> 00:25:09,200 Speaker 1: to do. And then for about the next like fifteen 418 00:25:09,280 --> 00:25:12,879 Speaker 1: or so years, Um turned Tom Thumb into what was 419 00:25:13,840 --> 00:25:18,040 Speaker 1: essentially the first international celebrity. Oh was he the first 420 00:25:18,080 --> 00:25:22,720 Speaker 1: international celebrity? Pretty much? Yeah, Tom Thumb was a sensation. 421 00:25:23,240 --> 00:25:26,920 Speaker 1: Queen Victoria was a huge fan. Met met with him 422 00:25:26,960 --> 00:25:30,560 Speaker 1: twice too, to at least twice um. She apparently was 423 00:25:30,600 --> 00:25:34,160 Speaker 1: really big into side shows, but Tom Thumb was her favorite. 424 00:25:34,640 --> 00:25:37,560 Speaker 1: Um and he They made so much money off of 425 00:25:37,640 --> 00:25:42,160 Speaker 1: their first European tour that um Barnum bought his museum 426 00:25:42,240 --> 00:25:45,800 Speaker 1: with the proceeds. Is there anything grosser than the Queen 427 00:25:45,800 --> 00:25:52,400 Speaker 1: of England laughing at a small person imitating Napoleon for money? 428 00:25:52,960 --> 00:25:55,680 Speaker 1: She may have even Napoleon at the time. Oh, I'm 429 00:25:55,720 --> 00:26:01,240 Speaker 1: sure she. That probably made it all the funnier to her. Unbelievable. So, 430 00:26:01,480 --> 00:26:04,639 Speaker 1: but he was. He was a rich dude. He was 431 00:26:04,680 --> 00:26:08,320 Speaker 1: paid uh in today's dollars who Tom Thumb? Oh yeah, 432 00:26:08,359 --> 00:26:12,480 Speaker 1: over four thousand dollars a week and retired and lived 433 00:26:12,520 --> 00:26:16,359 Speaker 1: the high life in New York City. Um. And you 434 00:26:16,400 --> 00:26:19,600 Speaker 1: know he didn't feel like he was exploited. No, he 435 00:26:19,600 --> 00:26:21,520 Speaker 1: he actually got married. I saw that he had children, 436 00:26:21,560 --> 00:26:23,000 Speaker 1: but I could I only saw that one place. I 437 00:26:23,000 --> 00:26:25,280 Speaker 1: didn't see it anywhere else. But he he was married 438 00:26:25,320 --> 00:26:29,399 Speaker 1: and actually, um, right after the marriage was um brought 439 00:26:29,440 --> 00:26:32,439 Speaker 1: to the White House to hang out with Abraham Lincoln 440 00:26:32,440 --> 00:26:34,720 Speaker 1: and Mrs Lincoln. Yeah, he had twenty thou people at 441 00:26:34,720 --> 00:26:37,679 Speaker 1: his funeral. He he was again, he was a very 442 00:26:37,760 --> 00:26:40,399 Speaker 1: big deal. And from what I understand, at the end 443 00:26:40,440 --> 00:26:43,239 Speaker 1: of the day he shed his persona. He was just 444 00:26:43,440 --> 00:26:49,000 Speaker 1: Charles Stratton uber wealthy, uh, some little person. Um. And 445 00:26:49,359 --> 00:26:52,280 Speaker 1: when he was doing his show, he was Tom Thumb 446 00:26:52,960 --> 00:26:55,240 Speaker 1: who would dress up as Napoleon or whatever and take 447 00:26:55,280 --> 00:26:58,560 Speaker 1: your money. Yeah, but um he he and P. T. 448 00:26:58,680 --> 00:27:01,840 Speaker 1: Barnum together really made a ton of cash. Tom Thumb 449 00:27:01,880 --> 00:27:04,520 Speaker 1: was a little better at managing his cash than Barnum was, 450 00:27:04,560 --> 00:27:07,399 Speaker 1: because Barnum fell in hard times. A lot of people 451 00:27:07,680 --> 00:27:10,160 Speaker 1: don't realize this, but he made some actually really bad 452 00:27:10,640 --> 00:27:14,160 Speaker 1: investments over over time too. Yeah. He invested a lot 453 00:27:14,200 --> 00:27:17,000 Speaker 1: of his money initially back into his business, which was smart, right, 454 00:27:17,200 --> 00:27:19,080 Speaker 1: and but a lot of times he would be like 455 00:27:19,119 --> 00:27:20,760 Speaker 1: this is gonna be a hit, and it wouldn't be 456 00:27:20,760 --> 00:27:23,600 Speaker 1: a hit. He didn't have the Midas touch necessarily, and 457 00:27:23,640 --> 00:27:25,879 Speaker 1: he fell on hard times more than once. And one 458 00:27:25,920 --> 00:27:28,679 Speaker 1: of the times Um Tom Thumb or Charles Stratton bailed 459 00:27:28,720 --> 00:27:31,879 Speaker 1: him out. Oh really, I get the feeling Barnum didn't 460 00:27:32,080 --> 00:27:35,199 Speaker 1: know when to leave well enough alone, you know, like 461 00:27:35,240 --> 00:27:37,240 Speaker 1: he had a big, thriving business and he just kept 462 00:27:37,240 --> 00:27:40,040 Speaker 1: wanting to push it further and further. Hugh Jackman, I'm 463 00:27:40,040 --> 00:27:43,439 Speaker 1: telling you, uh so, now we will talk about a 464 00:27:43,440 --> 00:27:48,639 Speaker 1: couple of people, Um, who are afflicted with something. Well, 465 00:27:48,720 --> 00:27:54,040 Speaker 1: they were micro cephalic, which means that they have a 466 00:27:54,080 --> 00:27:58,240 Speaker 1: cone shaped head smaller than normal shaped head as well. Yes, 467 00:27:58,680 --> 00:28:01,480 Speaker 1: if you've ever if you're how Stern fan, then you 468 00:28:01,520 --> 00:28:07,280 Speaker 1: know beetlejuice. He has this condition. Um, and they used 469 00:28:07,280 --> 00:28:11,439 Speaker 1: to call them pinheads back in the day, awful term. Uh. 470 00:28:11,440 --> 00:28:13,720 Speaker 1: And there were a couple of notable I'm not even 471 00:28:13,720 --> 00:28:16,080 Speaker 1: gonna keep saying that, but a couple of notable people 472 00:28:16,080 --> 00:28:20,679 Speaker 1: that performed um in these freak shows. One was Zip 473 00:28:21,359 --> 00:28:25,280 Speaker 1: William Henry Johnson renamed Zip to z I P. He's 474 00:28:25,320 --> 00:28:30,000 Speaker 1: from New Jersey, born to newly freed slaves and uh. 475 00:28:30,119 --> 00:28:32,399 Speaker 1: When Barnum found him, he says, you know I'm gonna do. 476 00:28:32,520 --> 00:28:35,520 Speaker 1: I'm gonna make up the story that you were found 477 00:28:35,600 --> 00:28:39,400 Speaker 1: during a guerrilla expedition near the Gambia River. I'm gonna 478 00:28:39,440 --> 00:28:42,320 Speaker 1: shave your head except for a little ponytailed tuft on 479 00:28:42,360 --> 00:28:44,800 Speaker 1: top and address you in a suit of fur. And 480 00:28:44,840 --> 00:28:47,920 Speaker 1: you get up on that stage and grunt like an animal. Yeah, 481 00:28:48,200 --> 00:28:50,240 Speaker 1: he was paid a dollar a day at first to 482 00:28:50,520 --> 00:28:53,000 Speaker 1: not talk to grunt and I guess to play the 483 00:28:53,080 --> 00:28:56,760 Speaker 1: violin really badly. Yeah. I didn't get was he paid 484 00:28:56,760 --> 00:28:59,360 Speaker 1: a dollar a day to start? Okay? I thought that 485 00:28:59,440 --> 00:29:01,720 Speaker 1: might have been part of the story, that he was 486 00:29:01,800 --> 00:29:04,640 Speaker 1: in fact paid a hundred dollars a day later. Okay, 487 00:29:05,240 --> 00:29:10,200 Speaker 1: he became a very popular um uh freak. I guess. Yeah. 488 00:29:10,400 --> 00:29:13,920 Speaker 1: The thing is is um he uh. William Henry Johnson 489 00:29:14,520 --> 00:29:21,200 Speaker 1: was probably not microcephalic at all. Um he microcephalic. Microsophalic 490 00:29:21,440 --> 00:29:26,680 Speaker 1: is totally different microcephalic um he. Actually they think now 491 00:29:26,720 --> 00:29:29,720 Speaker 1: that he had just like a slightly abnormally shaped head 492 00:29:30,080 --> 00:29:32,800 Speaker 1: that was exaggerated by the haircut that they gave him, 493 00:29:33,440 --> 00:29:36,920 Speaker 1: and that he actually had no diminished mental faculties once 494 00:29:37,040 --> 00:29:39,120 Speaker 1: what what at all and he was just pretending the 495 00:29:39,160 --> 00:29:41,920 Speaker 1: whole time, and not only fooling crowds, but he was 496 00:29:41,960 --> 00:29:46,160 Speaker 1: also fooling promoters. Yeah, because that's one of the hallmarks 497 00:29:46,200 --> 00:29:49,480 Speaker 1: of that condition. Is I believe that usually it's accompanied 498 00:29:49,480 --> 00:29:54,640 Speaker 1: by cognitive stunted cognitive development ye, usually very severe, but 499 00:29:54,760 --> 00:29:56,320 Speaker 1: not in his case. He was super smart. And when 500 00:29:56,320 --> 00:29:59,040 Speaker 1: he died said we fooled them all. Yeah, that's no. 501 00:29:59,200 --> 00:30:02,960 Speaker 1: He his sister Siste in his deathbed. They're also married, right, 502 00:30:03,960 --> 00:30:05,880 Speaker 1: Not true. So he made a lot of money too, 503 00:30:06,160 --> 00:30:10,560 Speaker 1: he did. He apparently retired with millions um a millionaire, 504 00:30:10,880 --> 00:30:14,240 Speaker 1: so he's not the only um again. Pinhead is what 505 00:30:14,320 --> 00:30:18,160 Speaker 1: this specific type of freak was called man. I can't 506 00:30:18,160 --> 00:30:23,800 Speaker 1: believe I just said that. This feels so wrong I. Um, 507 00:30:23,840 --> 00:30:28,200 Speaker 1: but there's a very sideshow performer and Chuck. Another very 508 00:30:28,200 --> 00:30:31,960 Speaker 1: famous side show performer who was also I guess technically 509 00:30:32,400 --> 00:30:36,880 Speaker 1: in the Under the Umbrella pinhead who actually was UM 510 00:30:37,000 --> 00:30:41,920 Speaker 1: micro's cephilic was Schlitze. Yes, Schlitze is one of my 511 00:30:42,000 --> 00:30:45,280 Speaker 1: favorite people of all time. Yes, schlet's see. They don't 512 00:30:45,320 --> 00:30:48,200 Speaker 1: know for sure his real name, but um, they believe 513 00:30:48,280 --> 00:30:50,680 Speaker 1: it's Simon Metz. Born in nineteen and one of the 514 00:30:50,720 --> 00:30:55,760 Speaker 1: Bronx and um. By all accounts from everyone who ever 515 00:30:55,800 --> 00:31:02,040 Speaker 1: met Schlitze, everyone loved Schlitze and he was a ray 516 00:31:02,080 --> 00:31:05,200 Speaker 1: of sunshine and a nice, sweet carrying, kind hearted man. 517 00:31:06,160 --> 00:31:10,400 Speaker 1: Loved life anything that you would take for granted. Um, 518 00:31:10,600 --> 00:31:14,720 Speaker 1: chlet's see, probably enjoyed the heck out of and um. 519 00:31:15,280 --> 00:31:19,000 Speaker 1: He was very frequently build as a woman. UM. I 520 00:31:19,040 --> 00:31:21,560 Speaker 1: think he was Bill as an Aztec warrior at first, 521 00:31:21,640 --> 00:31:24,480 Speaker 1: and then maybe even an Aztec woman. But he wore 522 00:31:24,560 --> 00:31:27,280 Speaker 1: dresses all the time because he was incontinent, and this 523 00:31:27,440 --> 00:31:30,920 Speaker 1: just made it the whole thing easier. UM. So he 524 00:31:30,960 --> 00:31:32,640 Speaker 1: was Bill as a woman for a very long time 525 00:31:32,640 --> 00:31:36,320 Speaker 1: and including in the movie, um Freaks, the Todd Browning 526 00:31:36,360 --> 00:31:40,760 Speaker 1: movie from two. Schlitze was in that and Schlitze actually 527 00:31:40,800 --> 00:31:45,360 Speaker 1: has like this big scene that's like has he has 528 00:31:45,400 --> 00:31:49,200 Speaker 1: a whole speaking like a dialogue section, But to this 529 00:31:49,280 --> 00:31:52,520 Speaker 1: day no one has any clue what he says. Yeah, 530 00:31:52,560 --> 00:31:54,360 Speaker 1: should we talk about freaks now or take a break 531 00:31:54,400 --> 00:31:56,320 Speaker 1: and then talk about it. Let's take a break, all right, 532 00:32:24,600 --> 00:32:28,400 Speaker 1: all right, So the movie Freaks. Uh, I've seen it, 533 00:32:28,520 --> 00:32:31,160 Speaker 1: have you? I saw it for the first time this morning. 534 00:32:31,400 --> 00:32:35,880 Speaker 1: No way, wow, college when most people see it so good? 535 00:32:36,520 --> 00:32:41,560 Speaker 1: Uh yeah, it's a nineteen thirty two pre code film. Uh. 536 00:32:41,680 --> 00:32:46,240 Speaker 1: There was a time between when um, they started making 537 00:32:46,240 --> 00:32:50,000 Speaker 1: movies to four when the Motion Picture production code kicked 538 00:32:50,000 --> 00:32:53,200 Speaker 1: in the haze code. Uh yeah, and properly called the 539 00:32:53,240 --> 00:32:56,160 Speaker 1: haze code. Um. For five years there you could do 540 00:32:56,200 --> 00:32:59,480 Speaker 1: whatever you wanted, I guess. Yeah. And uh, that's when 541 00:32:59,480 --> 00:33:01,640 Speaker 1: this direct her name Todd Browning, made a movie called 542 00:33:01,680 --> 00:33:07,640 Speaker 1: Freaks about side show performers. And this guy was he 543 00:33:07,640 --> 00:33:10,040 Speaker 1: actually ran away that the director actually ran away and 544 00:33:10,080 --> 00:33:13,120 Speaker 1: joined the carnival when he was sixteen and worked as 545 00:33:13,120 --> 00:33:18,600 Speaker 1: a carnival barker and even uh participated in stunts and 546 00:33:18,640 --> 00:33:20,680 Speaker 1: he was. He's a circus guy, right, and he had 547 00:33:20,720 --> 00:33:23,320 Speaker 1: a lot of um, sideshow performers as friends. And you 548 00:33:23,360 --> 00:33:27,520 Speaker 1: can tell in the movie that that's he's like, that's who, 549 00:33:27,560 --> 00:33:31,320 Speaker 1: he's whose side he's one, that's who that they're the 550 00:33:31,320 --> 00:33:35,760 Speaker 1: heroes of the story, that the protagonists, the antagonists or 551 00:33:36,040 --> 00:33:42,600 Speaker 1: normals or whatever. Um and uh, it's a really morally 552 00:33:42,760 --> 00:33:45,520 Speaker 1: fraud movie these days. But if you just step back 553 00:33:45,560 --> 00:33:49,760 Speaker 1: and and think of it as like this guy having 554 00:33:49,800 --> 00:33:52,760 Speaker 1: an affinity for side show performers and giving them a 555 00:33:52,800 --> 00:33:56,960 Speaker 1: shot at at stardom being on the big screen for 556 00:33:57,040 --> 00:33:58,920 Speaker 1: what they are, for who they are, for what they 557 00:33:58,960 --> 00:34:05,040 Speaker 1: can do. Um, then it's a really kind of a 558 00:34:05,080 --> 00:34:10,080 Speaker 1: heart growing tail heart growing Yeah, in a very weird way. 559 00:34:10,760 --> 00:34:13,600 Speaker 1: It's it's wrenching the watch. When's the last time you 560 00:34:13,600 --> 00:34:16,719 Speaker 1: saw a college Yeah, it's spent a long time. Just 561 00:34:16,800 --> 00:34:18,799 Speaker 1: see it again, all right, we'll check it out. Like 562 00:34:18,880 --> 00:34:21,839 Speaker 1: it's it's tough to watch. It's gut wrenching. Uh. There 563 00:34:21,840 --> 00:34:24,399 Speaker 1: are a lot of um, well, let's just talk about 564 00:34:24,440 --> 00:34:26,560 Speaker 1: some of the performers in the movie. Um. One of 565 00:34:26,600 --> 00:34:30,320 Speaker 1: them who stands out as Johnny eck John Eckhardt Jr. 566 00:34:30,320 --> 00:34:34,920 Speaker 1: Who was a twin and he was born with a condition. Uh. 567 00:34:35,000 --> 00:34:38,160 Speaker 1: Everyone said that he was cut off at the waist. Uh. 568 00:34:38,280 --> 00:34:42,640 Speaker 1: Not exactly true. We actually had um unusable underdeveloped legs 569 00:34:42,760 --> 00:34:46,200 Speaker 1: that you never saw, but it appeared as though he 570 00:34:46,440 --> 00:34:49,680 Speaker 1: didn't have anything from the torso down. And as from 571 00:34:49,680 --> 00:34:52,080 Speaker 1: a young kid, I believe he was even walking on 572 00:34:52,160 --> 00:34:55,719 Speaker 1: his hands before his twin brother was even standing. So 573 00:34:55,760 --> 00:34:57,480 Speaker 1: he was very advanced in a lot of ways. A 574 00:34:57,560 --> 00:35:01,360 Speaker 1: very smart guy. He's a painter. Uh yeah, very accomplished 575 00:35:01,360 --> 00:35:05,160 Speaker 1: the magician. Um. And you had a great personality too, 576 00:35:05,200 --> 00:35:07,560 Speaker 1: you could tell. Yeah, And apparently he was good buddies 577 00:35:07,600 --> 00:35:11,200 Speaker 1: with um Browning. And Browning always wanted him around and 578 00:35:11,239 --> 00:35:12,759 Speaker 1: by his side and was like, you know, you need 579 00:35:12,760 --> 00:35:16,600 Speaker 1: to come sit with me by the camera and almost 580 00:35:16,600 --> 00:35:19,240 Speaker 1: like his Uh. I don't know if he could consider 581 00:35:19,280 --> 00:35:21,760 Speaker 1: him a co director, but he always wanted him nearby. 582 00:35:22,800 --> 00:35:29,600 Speaker 1: Pretty neat Uh. Daisy and Violet Hilton. Yeah can joined twins, right, yeah, 583 00:35:29,760 --> 00:35:33,960 Speaker 1: which they called Siamese twins back in the day. Um, 584 00:35:34,000 --> 00:35:36,759 Speaker 1: thanks to Chang and Yang Bunker. Right. Yeah, they were 585 00:35:36,800 --> 00:35:40,960 Speaker 1: actually uh some of the first super famous. Uh. They 586 00:35:40,960 --> 00:35:43,279 Speaker 1: were from a Siamese fishing village and that's where the 587 00:35:43,360 --> 00:35:47,120 Speaker 1: term came from. Yeah, Siam was what we now called Thailand. 588 00:35:47,400 --> 00:35:50,880 Speaker 1: That's right. Uh. And Chang and Ing we're born in 589 00:35:51,000 --> 00:35:54,719 Speaker 1: nineteen I'm sorry, eighteen eleven. And they actually performed on 590 00:35:54,760 --> 00:35:58,719 Speaker 1: their own for many years, made a ton of money. 591 00:35:58,920 --> 00:36:02,279 Speaker 1: They got married, had kids, moved to North Carolina of 592 00:36:02,320 --> 00:36:07,920 Speaker 1: all places, and um that well actually interestingly, Daisy and 593 00:36:08,000 --> 00:36:11,080 Speaker 1: Violet ended up in North Carolina too, Oh yeah, but 594 00:36:11,200 --> 00:36:14,280 Speaker 1: under much much worse conditions. Yeah, but um, to finish 595 00:36:14,280 --> 00:36:17,560 Speaker 1: with Chang and Yng, they eventually lost their money. They 596 00:36:17,560 --> 00:36:20,440 Speaker 1: were millionaires losser dough and then we'd worked for Barnum 597 00:36:20,520 --> 00:36:22,840 Speaker 1: later on in life. But I get the impression that 598 00:36:22,880 --> 00:36:25,200 Speaker 1: they did it kind of like at their leisure almost 599 00:36:25,880 --> 00:36:32,120 Speaker 1: and ended up reamassing another fortune interest from working with Barnum. Yeah, 600 00:36:32,160 --> 00:36:34,440 Speaker 1: and they fathered twenty one children between them, married to 601 00:36:34,480 --> 00:36:38,840 Speaker 1: Paris sisters. Man each had a house and they would 602 00:36:38,840 --> 00:36:41,239 Speaker 1: spend three days at one house, three days at the 603 00:36:41,280 --> 00:36:45,640 Speaker 1: next house. Um and yeah, they had twenty one kids. 604 00:36:45,680 --> 00:36:48,920 Speaker 1: Pretty amazing. So Daisy and Violet Hilton, they were known 605 00:36:48,920 --> 00:36:51,399 Speaker 1: as Siamese twins back then. Of course, Uh, we don't 606 00:36:51,480 --> 00:36:53,480 Speaker 1: use that German anymore, But I mean I remember that 607 00:36:53,560 --> 00:36:56,400 Speaker 1: term when I was a kid. So it's definitely like 608 00:36:56,560 --> 00:36:59,960 Speaker 1: held on for way too long. Remember Ronnie and Dinnie Galle? 609 00:37:00,920 --> 00:37:04,319 Speaker 1: Oh yeah, are they still with us? Let's find out 610 00:37:05,480 --> 00:37:11,640 Speaker 1: you're you're checking that. I'll continue. Um, I believe that. 611 00:37:10,760 --> 00:37:15,480 Speaker 1: Uh that Browning spotted Daisy and Violet and said, you 612 00:37:15,480 --> 00:37:18,080 Speaker 1: guys are great, You're pretty, you can sing. You'll be 613 00:37:18,120 --> 00:37:20,839 Speaker 1: a big part of my movie. And they had been 614 00:37:20,880 --> 00:37:24,080 Speaker 1: performers all along. Um. By eighteen, they were ontour with 615 00:37:24,120 --> 00:37:27,160 Speaker 1: Bob Hope as part of his dance troupe and made 616 00:37:27,239 --> 00:37:30,680 Speaker 1: quite a bit of money. Um. But sadly their story 617 00:37:30,840 --> 00:37:33,800 Speaker 1: ends in North Carolina because they made an appearance in 618 00:37:34,840 --> 00:37:37,160 Speaker 1: at a midnight showing of Freaks at a drive in 619 00:37:37,760 --> 00:37:41,160 Speaker 1: and their manager ditched them and this party don't get 620 00:37:41,200 --> 00:37:43,000 Speaker 1: they had no way to leave North Carolina, so they 621 00:37:43,040 --> 00:37:45,439 Speaker 1: just stayed there. Yeah, they had to get a job. 622 00:37:46,440 --> 00:37:48,440 Speaker 1: That just seems odd to me. If you don't have 623 00:37:48,480 --> 00:37:50,560 Speaker 1: any money and no one to call to ask for money, 624 00:37:51,000 --> 00:37:53,879 Speaker 1: you go get a job at a grocery store and 625 00:37:53,960 --> 00:37:58,240 Speaker 1: I hope that you can eventually die there. It seems 626 00:37:58,239 --> 00:38:00,080 Speaker 1: like they would have gotten enough money to leave and 627 00:38:00,120 --> 00:38:03,400 Speaker 1: go back to wherever they lived. While they died in Charlotte, 628 00:38:03,440 --> 00:38:07,000 Speaker 1: North Carolina of the Hong Kong flu What is that? 629 00:38:07,440 --> 00:38:11,719 Speaker 1: It was a flu epidemic? She's that originated in Hong Kong. 630 00:38:13,680 --> 00:38:15,920 Speaker 1: It was a different world back then. Siamese twins died 631 00:38:15,920 --> 00:38:18,960 Speaker 1: to Hong Kong flu i. None of that seems politically correct. 632 00:38:19,000 --> 00:38:25,160 Speaker 1: To know who else was in Freaks? Uh, let's see. Um, 633 00:38:25,200 --> 00:38:28,560 Speaker 1: there were a pair of little people named Harry and 634 00:38:28,640 --> 00:38:31,600 Speaker 1: Daisy Earls and they played Hans and Frieda right, and 635 00:38:31,680 --> 00:38:35,640 Speaker 1: Hans is like the ring master of the side show 636 00:38:36,280 --> 00:38:40,839 Speaker 1: and um Frieda in real life, Daisy was known as 637 00:38:40,880 --> 00:38:46,200 Speaker 1: the midget may West. Um. And in the movie they're engaged, 638 00:38:46,280 --> 00:38:49,919 Speaker 1: but actually in real life they were brother and sister. Yeah, 639 00:38:49,960 --> 00:38:53,520 Speaker 1: and they were in The Wizard of Oz even as munchkins. 640 00:38:54,000 --> 00:38:55,600 Speaker 1: And we're in a bunch of movies with Laurel and 641 00:38:55,680 --> 00:39:00,960 Speaker 1: Hardy as well, so lifelong performers. So the the whole 642 00:39:01,080 --> 00:39:03,719 Speaker 1: this whole movie and again, um, we kind of we 643 00:39:03,760 --> 00:39:06,279 Speaker 1: didn't finish with the Schlitze. Schlitzy was in it too 644 00:39:06,280 --> 00:39:09,759 Speaker 1: and had his whole big speaking part. Um. It was 645 00:39:09,840 --> 00:39:13,960 Speaker 1: just adorable in the movie. You could like Schlitz's personality 646 00:39:14,000 --> 00:39:17,160 Speaker 1: just shines right through the movie. Very likable. Yeah, and 647 00:39:17,320 --> 00:39:23,440 Speaker 1: um Schlitze was actually uh adopted that no one had 648 00:39:23,480 --> 00:39:28,840 Speaker 1: any idea who Schlitz's biological family was. They were not around. 649 00:39:29,160 --> 00:39:33,799 Speaker 1: So the um, the people he performed with and worked for, 650 00:39:33,960 --> 00:39:38,800 Speaker 1: actually took care of him. And when his adopted father died, 651 00:39:39,560 --> 00:39:45,080 Speaker 1: his father's daughter, biological daughter said hey, schlt see, Um, 652 00:39:45,120 --> 00:39:49,839 Speaker 1: I'm going to commit you to an asylum in Los Angeles. 653 00:39:50,640 --> 00:39:54,160 Speaker 1: And that's where Schlitzy was until one day, just by 654 00:39:54,320 --> 00:39:58,600 Speaker 1: total chance, chuck Uh another circus performer, I think a 655 00:39:58,719 --> 00:40:04,319 Speaker 1: sword swallower named Bill Unks. Bill, you're Schlitze. Yeah, what 656 00:40:04,360 --> 00:40:07,600 Speaker 1: are you doing here? You look so sad? And Schlitze 657 00:40:07,840 --> 00:40:11,839 Speaker 1: was like, I remember you, let's go. So bill Unk 658 00:40:11,960 --> 00:40:16,719 Speaker 1: intervened and got Schlitze out of the institution, and uh 659 00:40:16,920 --> 00:40:19,000 Speaker 1: he got to live out his days hanging out in 660 00:40:19,040 --> 00:40:22,239 Speaker 1: the park being recognized by passers by. Yeah. He lived 661 00:40:22,520 --> 00:40:26,440 Speaker 1: near MacArthur Park in downtown l A. And uh lived 662 00:40:26,440 --> 00:40:31,480 Speaker 1: all the way up until at age seventy one. Yeah, 663 00:40:31,680 --> 00:40:37,600 Speaker 1: so you know you gotta see Schlitze. You should see freaks. 664 00:40:37,680 --> 00:40:40,480 Speaker 1: But even if you don't see freaks, like look up 665 00:40:40,480 --> 00:40:43,960 Speaker 1: Schlitze's part agreed, it'll probably make you want to see Freaks, 666 00:40:44,360 --> 00:40:48,480 Speaker 1: so chuck. Um, the Freak Show is well, some people 667 00:40:48,760 --> 00:40:50,759 Speaker 1: say that it's still around and that it's just on 668 00:40:50,840 --> 00:40:54,600 Speaker 1: TV in the form of reality shows, like basically that 669 00:40:54,680 --> 00:40:59,319 Speaker 1: same sentiment and everything still is found all over television. Yeah, 670 00:40:59,360 --> 00:41:05,280 Speaker 1: exploiting uh people like uh, exploiting obesity and exploiting dwarf 671 00:41:05,400 --> 00:41:09,399 Speaker 1: is um and uh, yeah it's on television now. Um. 672 00:41:09,440 --> 00:41:14,719 Speaker 1: But the actual side show itself, Um, it's well, it 673 00:41:14,840 --> 00:41:17,239 Speaker 1: went away in a lot of ways, at least as 674 00:41:17,239 --> 00:41:20,319 Speaker 1: far as like a traveling side show went. And it 675 00:41:20,360 --> 00:41:23,200 Speaker 1: went away with the rise of um, the rights for 676 00:41:23,200 --> 00:41:26,880 Speaker 1: the disabled. That that that movement that came along in 677 00:41:26,920 --> 00:41:30,359 Speaker 1: the starting in about the like late nineteenth century, early 678 00:41:30,400 --> 00:41:33,200 Speaker 1: twentieth century, and then really gaining steam by about the 679 00:41:33,239 --> 00:41:36,040 Speaker 1: time Freaks came around. The movie. Yeah, there were a 680 00:41:36,080 --> 00:41:38,160 Speaker 1: few things that kind of killed it, um, but one's 681 00:41:38,200 --> 00:41:40,719 Speaker 1: definitely like you said, science invented it and killed it 682 00:41:41,239 --> 00:41:45,440 Speaker 1: as And here's something that is sort of reprehensible that 683 00:41:45,520 --> 00:41:48,920 Speaker 1: I found out. There's a lot of these uh side 684 00:41:48,920 --> 00:41:51,560 Speaker 1: shows would try and keep doctors away from the people 685 00:41:52,000 --> 00:41:54,759 Speaker 1: because they thought, I don't want a doctor coming in here. 686 00:41:54,920 --> 00:42:00,319 Speaker 1: And saying that the dog faced boy actually has hypertrichosis. Yeah, 687 00:42:00,320 --> 00:42:02,799 Speaker 1: because and it's a condition where you have hair all 688 00:42:02,800 --> 00:42:06,720 Speaker 1: over your face. Yeah. I told everybody he was a 689 00:42:06,760 --> 00:42:10,080 Speaker 1: cave caveman. Yeah, exactly, did you know? Actually there was 690 00:42:10,120 --> 00:42:14,200 Speaker 1: another There was a woman um named Julia Pastrana, and 691 00:42:14,280 --> 00:42:19,200 Speaker 1: she had hypertrichosis too, and she ended up marrying her manager. 692 00:42:19,640 --> 00:42:22,480 Speaker 1: They were married, they had a baby together, and she 693 00:42:22,640 --> 00:42:26,400 Speaker 1: died during childbirth and and the baby was born stillborn, 694 00:42:27,040 --> 00:42:31,600 Speaker 1: and her husband, manager, who ostensibly loved her, said the 695 00:42:31,680 --> 00:42:34,680 Speaker 1: show must go on. So he mummified his wife and 696 00:42:34,680 --> 00:42:36,960 Speaker 1: they're still born baby, and then took him around to 697 00:42:37,040 --> 00:42:42,799 Speaker 1: display them in the side show as ever unbelievable. So 698 00:42:43,040 --> 00:42:47,240 Speaker 1: uh again, doctors would come along and start explaining these things, 699 00:42:47,280 --> 00:42:50,000 Speaker 1: and that helped kill the side show. The rise of 700 00:42:50,080 --> 00:42:53,960 Speaker 1: television and uh, you know at home entertainment meant people 701 00:42:53,960 --> 00:42:58,359 Speaker 1: weren't going out to places like sideshows anymore. Yeah, they 702 00:42:58,400 --> 00:43:00,759 Speaker 1: could stay in their house and watch television. And apparently 703 00:43:00,920 --> 00:43:04,240 Speaker 1: you could still find sideshows like that American horror story 704 00:43:04,760 --> 00:43:08,560 Speaker 1: was it freak show last season or whatever? I don't 705 00:43:08,560 --> 00:43:11,520 Speaker 1: watch that, but yeah, um it was setting I think 706 00:43:11,560 --> 00:43:13,919 Speaker 1: the fifties, and I think at that time you could 707 00:43:13,960 --> 00:43:16,880 Speaker 1: still see, you know, traveling side shows here there, but 708 00:43:16,920 --> 00:43:19,719 Speaker 1: they were pretty broken down by that point, they were 709 00:43:20,040 --> 00:43:23,920 Speaker 1: pretty pretty much gone. But by the sixties there was 710 00:43:23,960 --> 00:43:27,000 Speaker 1: a girl named Carol Browning and she I all I 711 00:43:27,040 --> 00:43:29,520 Speaker 1: could find is that she had deformed arms and legs. 712 00:43:29,560 --> 00:43:31,120 Speaker 1: I don't know what that means, but that was the 713 00:43:31,120 --> 00:43:34,040 Speaker 1: description that was given given of her. But she went 714 00:43:34,120 --> 00:43:37,920 Speaker 1: to a side show and when she visited the carnival 715 00:43:38,000 --> 00:43:41,600 Speaker 1: in North Carolina. I think she lived in Charlotte, No Raleigh, 716 00:43:42,080 --> 00:43:45,520 Speaker 1: and Carol, what is it with North Carolina? That's where 717 00:43:45,560 --> 00:43:51,000 Speaker 1: things beginning in with with sideshows. Well, Carol, Carol Grant 718 00:43:51,040 --> 00:43:54,279 Speaker 1: I think was her name. Carol wrote a letter to 719 00:43:54,320 --> 00:43:58,960 Speaker 1: the Agricultural Commission. The Agricultural Commission is in charge of 720 00:43:59,000 --> 00:44:00,960 Speaker 1: side shows at the time, at least in North Carolina, 721 00:44:00,960 --> 00:44:04,520 Speaker 1: and said this is wrong, like this is beyond wrong. 722 00:44:04,640 --> 00:44:07,600 Speaker 1: I'm I'm offended by this and this this should not 723 00:44:07,640 --> 00:44:10,600 Speaker 1: be allowed to happen. And she actually sparked a national 724 00:44:10,640 --> 00:44:15,240 Speaker 1: conversation about whether side shows should be allowed to be around, 725 00:44:15,400 --> 00:44:17,839 Speaker 1: even if performers wanted to be a part of them. 726 00:44:18,040 --> 00:44:21,480 Speaker 1: And that was the final death knell that conversation. But 727 00:44:21,560 --> 00:44:23,880 Speaker 1: a lot of people came out and said, hey, you 728 00:44:23,920 --> 00:44:26,640 Speaker 1: know what these people, you guys call them freaks, but 729 00:44:26,680 --> 00:44:30,879 Speaker 1: you also empty your pockets to them, and they're wealthy. 730 00:44:30,520 --> 00:44:34,760 Speaker 1: They enjoy the acclaim, they enjoy the money, and um, 731 00:44:34,800 --> 00:44:39,560 Speaker 1: it's actually you who has the problem. And it didn't 732 00:44:39,560 --> 00:44:41,920 Speaker 1: have much of an effect. Sideshows went away, and a 733 00:44:42,000 --> 00:44:44,919 Speaker 1: lot of the sideshow performers ended up going from being 734 00:44:45,000 --> 00:44:47,560 Speaker 1: pretty wealthy or well paid or having a steady income 735 00:44:47,600 --> 00:44:51,719 Speaker 1: to um being broke and ending up like being abandoned 736 00:44:51,760 --> 00:44:56,080 Speaker 1: by their managers like Daisy and Violet. Yeah, it's a 737 00:44:56,080 --> 00:44:59,440 Speaker 1: tricky ground, it is. It's pretty much sad all the 738 00:44:59,440 --> 00:45:02,560 Speaker 1: way through. Yeah, I mean except for some success stories. 739 00:45:03,680 --> 00:45:06,160 Speaker 1: And that makes the whole thing so morally ambiguous if 740 00:45:06,200 --> 00:45:08,680 Speaker 1: you think about it, Like, it's just so easy to 741 00:45:08,800 --> 00:45:11,480 Speaker 1: look from here and be like you named your movie 742 00:45:11,560 --> 00:45:16,879 Speaker 1: freaks or you you you charge people to look at 743 00:45:16,920 --> 00:45:20,320 Speaker 1: the elephant man. But what about those people who said, 744 00:45:20,840 --> 00:45:23,120 Speaker 1: I'm cool with this, I'm signing on for this. Yeah, 745 00:45:23,360 --> 00:45:25,880 Speaker 1: this is making a lot of very wealthy. I'm happy, 746 00:45:26,440 --> 00:45:29,359 Speaker 1: I've I've had all sorts of opportunities that weren't open 747 00:45:29,360 --> 00:45:32,200 Speaker 1: to me before. And I love what I do. What 748 00:45:32,239 --> 00:45:34,520 Speaker 1: do you do about that? Like, you can't condemn it. 749 00:45:34,520 --> 00:45:37,239 Speaker 1: It's not an easy black and white thing to to 750 00:45:37,520 --> 00:45:40,040 Speaker 1: deal with. Yeah, it's called a moral ambiguity. You said 751 00:45:40,080 --> 00:45:43,759 Speaker 1: it that There have always been them, them, those them 752 00:45:43,840 --> 00:45:48,719 Speaker 1: moral ambiguity. There always will be. Uh, you got anything else? No? 753 00:45:49,719 --> 00:45:54,000 Speaker 1: If you want to know more about sideshows, freaks, that 754 00:45:54,080 --> 00:45:56,680 Speaker 1: kind of thing, you can type those words into the 755 00:45:56,680 --> 00:45:59,280 Speaker 1: search bar at how stuff works dot com. And since 756 00:45:59,360 --> 00:46:04,360 Speaker 1: I said search parts, time for listener mail. Hey, before 757 00:46:04,400 --> 00:46:08,240 Speaker 1: listener mail, what about Ronnie and Donnie? Oh? Yeah, Ronnie 758 00:46:08,280 --> 00:46:11,359 Speaker 1: and Donnie are alive. Awesome. They are sixty four years 759 00:46:11,360 --> 00:46:15,319 Speaker 1: old as of past October I think one, and they 760 00:46:15,400 --> 00:46:20,440 Speaker 1: are the world's longest living conjoined twins. They're adorable too. 761 00:46:20,600 --> 00:46:23,000 Speaker 1: They're OHI ends right if I remember believe so? Yeah, 762 00:46:23,200 --> 00:46:26,239 Speaker 1: very nice man. What documentary did we see on them 763 00:46:26,320 --> 00:46:28,560 Speaker 1: or something? I can't remember, but we've we've talked about 764 00:46:28,600 --> 00:46:31,080 Speaker 1: him a lot over the years. So that's that's great news. Yeah, 765 00:46:31,160 --> 00:46:34,399 Speaker 1: but they're they're still at it alright. So listener mail, 766 00:46:34,520 --> 00:46:39,000 Speaker 1: I'm gonna call this one. Uh, quick feedback on the 767 00:46:39,040 --> 00:46:42,799 Speaker 1: Bill Gates podcast that is Quick Turnaround. Hey guys, my 768 00:46:42,920 --> 00:46:48,040 Speaker 1: name is Brendan Cologne announced like Cologne, and I'm a 769 00:46:48,080 --> 00:46:53,320 Speaker 1: PhD student at Habba Medical School in Pamelas Silver's lab 770 00:46:54,400 --> 00:46:58,399 Speaker 1: working on artificial photosynthesis. Shoutout Pamelas Silver. How about that. 771 00:46:59,239 --> 00:47:00,960 Speaker 1: I'm long time fan the show and wanted to say 772 00:47:01,000 --> 00:47:02,560 Speaker 1: what you guys did? Uh? You did? You did a 773 00:47:02,560 --> 00:47:06,360 Speaker 1: great job covering renewable energy with Bill Gates. During the episode, 774 00:47:06,360 --> 00:47:09,600 Speaker 1: there was a question about the current limitations of artificial 775 00:47:09,600 --> 00:47:15,040 Speaker 1: photosynthetic systems at present. The biggest issues are scalability, he 776 00:47:15,160 --> 00:47:18,680 Speaker 1: cost energy in producing the building materials, and the efficient 777 00:47:18,719 --> 00:47:22,800 Speaker 1: extraction of produced fuels. Uh. These are standard engineering hurdles, 778 00:47:22,840 --> 00:47:25,359 Speaker 1: but like Mr Gates said, we can call them Bill. 779 00:47:25,400 --> 00:47:27,680 Speaker 1: By the way, I don't think you can, Brendon, we can, 780 00:47:27,840 --> 00:47:30,880 Speaker 1: but we can. Uh. These are standard engineering hurdles, but 781 00:47:30,920 --> 00:47:34,480 Speaker 1: like Mr Gates said, the final product needs to be viable. Specifically, 782 00:47:34,520 --> 00:47:37,160 Speaker 1: such a product would need to harvest in store more 783 00:47:37,320 --> 00:47:39,160 Speaker 1: energy in the short term than what was required to 784 00:47:39,160 --> 00:47:43,200 Speaker 1: build it makes sense and do so on the cheap. Uh. Fortunately, 785 00:47:43,239 --> 00:47:49,040 Speaker 1: biotechnology and photo voltaic technology is advancing at a breakneck pace, 786 00:47:49,120 --> 00:47:51,719 Speaker 1: so the future of this technology looks bright. As new 787 00:47:51,719 --> 00:47:55,280 Speaker 1: biochemistries are discovered, more products will be available for production, 788 00:47:55,719 --> 00:47:58,080 Speaker 1: and one vision of this technology is a local and 789 00:47:58,160 --> 00:48:02,080 Speaker 1: individualized production chemical is on demand. I hope this helps. 790 00:48:02,440 --> 00:48:06,960 Speaker 1: Feel free to reach out. Cheers Brendan. Thanks Brendan, Yeah, 791 00:48:07,160 --> 00:48:11,520 Speaker 1: Brendan Cologne pronounced cologne, that's right. Uh. If you are 792 00:48:11,560 --> 00:48:14,320 Speaker 1: an expert in something that we talk about, we love 793 00:48:14,560 --> 00:48:17,400 Speaker 1: hearing feedback from people like you. You can send us 794 00:48:17,400 --> 00:48:20,280 Speaker 1: an email. Send it off to stuff podcast at iHeart 795 00:48:20,320 --> 00:48:25,960 Speaker 1: radio dot com. Stuff you Should Know is a production 796 00:48:26,000 --> 00:48:28,920 Speaker 1: of I Heart Radio. For more podcasts my heart Radio, 797 00:48:29,120 --> 00:48:32,120 Speaker 1: visit the i heart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever 798 00:48:32,160 --> 00:48:33,600 Speaker 1: you listen to your favorite shows.