Freak Shows facts

While investigating facts about Freak Shows, I found out little known, but curios details like:

Martin Couney, an owner of a freak show in the early 1900's invented an incubator to exhibit premature babies, in doing so saved thousands of lives and marked the start of advanced prenatal care for preemies.

Incubators for premature infants were initially only available at freak shows. The inventor had been turned down by hospitals, so he funded his work by putting premies on display, and didn't charge the parents for the care.

In my opinion, it is useful to put together a list of the most interesting details from trusted sources that I've come across. Here are 24 of the best facts about Freak Shows I managed to collect.

1. After their famed snow run, Balto and his fellow sled dogs were sold to a freak show in L.A. After over 2 years living in horrible conditions, they were rescued by the efforts of the entire city of Cleveland, OH.

2. The famous dog, Balto, was sold to a LA freak show and was kept chained in a small cage for years after his famous trek

3. An African woman was brought to London in 1810 and exhibited as a freak show due to her large buttocks

4. Schlitzie, who had the mind of a 3 year old due to birth defects - started as a circus side-show freak, became a film actor, and then was adopted by an on-set chimpanzee trainer

5. Grace Jones once invited Chic to Studio 54. They were denied entry, since the show was sold out. Nile Rogers was so upset that he wrote a song titled " Aaaah, Fuck Off!," which was later renamed "Le Freak."

6. In 19th century freak shows it was not uncommon for the Living Skeleton act to marry the Fat Lady act.

7. Before marrying his husband, libertarian LGBT singer Rufus Wainwright did not support gay marriage, stating that he loved "the whole old-school promiscuous Oscar Wilde freak show of what 'being gay' once was.

8. That in 1904 baby incubators were rare in hospitals so parents would send their premature babies to the Dreamland amusement park at Coney Island where they had incubators in their freak show. They charged people 10 cents to see the babies

9. American Horror Story: Freak Show" was heavily influenced by a 1932 horror classic "Freaks," which was banned by the British censors due to disturbing content and was unavailable for viewing until 1963.

10. Leonardo da Vinci dressed lizards up as dragons to freak people out. He would "fasten scales to a lizard, dip it in quicksilver so it trembled as it moved, add larger eyes, a horn and a beard, and after taming it, show it to his friends to terrify them".

What is true about freak shows?

You can easily fact check it by examining the linked well-known sources.

The dog Togo, not Balto, was the real hero of Nome, Alaska in 1925. Balto just ran the last leg, later to be sold to a freak show + neglected

Charles Stratton AKA General Tom Thumb was a diminutive relation who worked for PT Barnum, and became an internationally acclaimed stage performer. He is credited with changing the perception of “freak shows”, which were previously seen as base work, and they soon after became highly popular. - source

One woman, Allison Jones, was the casting director for Arrested Development, The Office, Parks and Recreation, Brooklyn 99, Fresh Prince, Freaks and Geeks and more shows and movies - source

One high school, Grant High, has been used as a filming location for a number of well known movies and TV Shows (Dope, Clueless, Freaks and Geeks, Secret Life, Malcolm in the Middle, Saved by the Bell, Ferris Bueller)

The story of Percilla the Monkey Girl and Emmet the Alligator Skin Man. They were both "freak" show performers who met and fell in love. They were married for over 60 years. - source

Baroness von Zeppelin (heir to the famed German airship/dirigible manufacturers) seriously freaked out when she was about to meet the band that bore her namesake, when in the studio she saw the cover of the album 'Led Zeppelin I' which shows the Hindenburg airship exploding into flame.

The term "Geek" once referred to the opening act of a Freak Show carnival in which the opener would end his act by biting off a chickens head.

Balto was a real sled dog in Alaska who led his team through a treacherous run to deliver life saving medicine, but ultimately ended up "sold to the highest bidder and [the dogs] ended up mistreated and chained in a small area in a novelty museum and freak show in Los Angeles"

Joseph Merrick, the Elephant Man, worked as a door to door salesman before joining the freak show

Tsar Peter I established Russia's first museum, which is known for its anatomical freak show filled with preserved body parts and fetuses

There is a legitimate Phantom of the Opera sequel titled ‘Love Never Dies’ which takes place on Coney Island and centers around a freak show.