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