People have been going to the circus for as long as they can remember. While they are not so popular now, they were all the hype back in the 19th and 20th century. Animals were trained to perform tricks that the audience just loved and people with incredible talents would join the circus and charm the viewers. A lot of the time, these circus’s would feature bizarre acts and creepy talents, like sword swallowing or breathing fire while there were times when they would also feature people with physical deformities who performed comedy acts or had interesting talents.These photos depict the best of the best! They were truly dedicated to their practices in the circus and delivered incredible acts of entertainment despite the obvious exploitation of some of the performer’s abnormalities.
Koo-Koo (1879 – 1960)
Koo Koo, the Bird Girl, was born in 1880 and reportedly rescued from a mental asylum to enter the circus world. She was diagnosed with a rare congenital growth skeletal disorder called Virchow-Seckel syndrome. This explains her short stature, small head, and narrow bird-like face. She also had a receding jaw, large ears, and mild intellectual disability.