Very Special People

15 Points Per Correct Answer - No time limit  

1. Chang and Eng Bunker were the original Siamese twins. They were discovered in Thailand (formerly Siam) by the Scottish merchant Robert Hunter in 1824.  Hunter began exhibiting them throughout the world.  What country refused to allow Chang and Eng entry because that country subscribed to the then popular doctrine of "maternal impressions," a doctrine which held that if a pregnant woman saw an unpleasant sight or was frightened in some way, that such an event might leave its marks on the unborn child? Germany England Spain France

2. Robert Pershing Wadlow was the tallest man who ever lived.  Extensive medical records exist documenting his abnormal growth.  By the time Wadlow was twenty-two, he was just shy of nine feet tall. How tall was Wadlow on his tenth birthday? Six feet seven inches Six feet eleven inches Six feet nine inches Six feet five inches

3. My name is Carl Unthan.  I was almost smothered by my midwife when I was born in 1848 without any arms. This did not stop me from being very successful. For what achievement am I noted? I was an accomplished violinist.  I performed in Vienna with Johann Strauss. I was an accomplished playwright known for writing all my own works using an improvised version of Christopher Sholes’s 1867 invention. I was one of the greatest funambulists (tight-rope walkers) of all time.  I used a stick in my mouth for balance aided by my prehensile toes. I was a renowned woodworker and cabinetmaker. My work was commissioned by both the royal families of Austria and Holland.

4. Lucia Zarate is believed to be the smallest woman who ever lived.  At maturity she was under twenty inches tall and weighed only five pounds.  Her diminutive size was a factor in her untimely and tragic death in 1890 at the young age of 26.  How did she die? She was carried away from her village by a mountain cat that mistook her for prey. She drowned aboard a passenger ferry when a wind gust threw her overboard. She was trampled to death at a circus sideshow. She froze to death when the train she was riding in stalled during a snowstorm.

5. Prince Randian exhibited himself for many years on Coney Island as the "Caterpillar Man".  He had no arms, forearms, legs or thighs. He spoke four languages and maintained a very optimistic perspective on life. As long as he had his mind, he was determined to make the best of his disabilities. Prince Randian appeared in Tod Browning's controversial 1932 movie, “Freaks” where he had one speaking line. What line was that? "God isn't always fair!" "Light me a cigarette, will ya?" "What can you do with your eyebrows?" "What are you staring at?"

6. General Tom Thumb, a talented midget, was one of the sensations of the 19th century, and brought great wealth to P. T. Barnum. What dignitary had a reception for him in his honor while he was on his honeymoon with his diminutive wife Lavinia Warren? Queen Victoria Pope Pius IX King Leopold of Belgium Abraham Lincoln

7. What medical condition was not exhibited in circus “sideshows” of the 19th century? Pygopagus Osteogenesis Imperfecta Crohn's Disease Ehlers Danlos Syndrome

8. Randy Stiles was born with a condition known as ectrodactyly which resulted in claw-like hands and shortened, fin-like, lower extremities that lead to his sideshow designation as the “Lobster Boy”. He was unable to walk, but could scoot quickly along the floor with his muscular body. He gained national publicity in the United States in the 1980s when he was charged with killing his daughter's boyfriend. What is true about this “stranger than fiction” case? Mr. Stiles's wife was sent to prison after she was convicted of hiring a hitman to shoot her abusive husband at close range. Also convicted in the conspiracy was Mrs. Stiles's stepson, the circus blockman (pounds nails into his own head). Randy Stiles was convicted of murder, but was not sent to prison, as the judge determined that the prison system in Florida did not have the means to deal with someone with his disability. All of these statements are true. The bearded lady, a 600 pound circus fat man who could not fit into the witness chair, and a circus midget all testified to Randy Stiles's high moral character at the trial.

9. During my lifetime my name was literally synonymous with ugliness throughout the Western World.  My promotors billed me as the "Ugliest Woman in the World" and the famous civil war photographer Matthew Brady did a photo study of me.  My body was grossly deformed and covered with hair, and I was reported to have had two rows of teeth in each jaw.  In 1860, at the age of 28, I gave birth to a severely deformed and hairy child who lived just two days.  Deeply grieving, I died shortly thereafter.  My exhibitor, Mr Lent, saw the opportunity to exploit me even after my death, and he had my body and that of my child embalmed by Professor Sokoloff, a world expert at the time in mummification.  For over a century, my body and that of my son were exhibited throughout the world.  My son and I have yet to receive a proper burial.  Who am I? Julia Pastrana Madame Clofullia Janet Reno Grace Gilbert

10. Reba and Lori Shappell are craniopagus Siamese twins who were born in the United States in 1961. They are joined at the head, and face opposite directions from one another. They share a left eye as well as 30% of their brain. Reba is paralyzed by spina bifida and uses a specialized wheeled stool to get around. Which of the following statements about Reba and Lori is false? Reba is a country singer who won the L.A. music award for the Best New Country Artist in 1997. Reba and Lori made history when they became the first Siamese twins to tandem skydive. For the first 24 years of their lives, Reba and Lori were raised in a home for the profoundly retarded. Lori is publicly quoted as saying, “Don’t assume my life is difficult, unless I tell you it is so."