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Sideshow People Trivia Quiz

I have always admired the people of the sideshow, and in some cases envied the adventures they had because of their "deformity or handicap".

A multiple-choice quiz by bustigger. Estimated time: 4 mins.

Author
bustigger

Time
4 mins

Type
Multiple Choice

Quiz #
306,973

Updated
Dec 03 21

# Qns
10

Difficulty
Average

Avg Score
6 / 10

Plays
523

Awards
Top 35% Quiz

One at a Time - Single Page - Timed Game

Question 1 of 10

1. Fanny Mills was a petite 115 pounds, but suffered from Milroy's disease. What part of Fanny's body was afflicted? Hint

hands

eyes

ears

feet

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Question 2 of 10

2. Percilla and Emmitt Bejano were married in 1938, she was known as The Monkey Girl. What was so special about Emmitt? Hint

Nothing, other than being married to Percilla

He was the Alligator -Skinned Man

He was the Lobster-Boy

He was the Thin Man

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Question 3 of 10

3. What caused the demise of Clarence H. Alexander, known as Elastic Skin Joe? Hint

Was shot by a jealous husband.

Drowning while learning to swim.

Suicide in front of an audience.

Died of natural causes in his sleep.

NEXT>

Question 4 of 10

4. Sealo, born with no arms only hands, fought to over-turn a 1921 law which "prohibited the exhibition of any malformed, deformed, or disfigured human". In what state did this law exist? Hint

California

Georgia

Florida

New York

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Question 5 of 10

5. Ella Harper, known for walking on all fours, was exhibited along side lions and elephants, and was billed as The Camel Girl. What was so special about Ella? Hint

Her knees turned bent backwards rather than forward.

She could exist for days with no water.

She had humps on her back.

Her elbows bent in rather than out.

NEXT>

Question 6 of 10

6. Carrie Akers was said to be on her way to becoming a Bearded lady when she retired from show business. Nicknamed "Quarrelsome Carrie", why was she a double feature during her career? Hint

She was legless and a fire eater.

She was a half woman and a sword swallower.

She was a Fat Lady and a dwarf.

She was a Tattooed Lady and a giant.

7. Jean Carroll fell in love with a fellow sideshow performer. They wanted to be married, but her husband-to-be insisted she give something up before he would marry her. What did she give up? Hint

The side show

Her beard

being a stripper

Getting tattoos

NEXT>

Question 8 of 10

8. Michael Wilson, The Illustrated Man, helped launch the rebirth of the Coney Island sideshow in 1986. What was he the first person to exhibit since Jack Dracula in the early 1960's? Hint

His parasitic twin.

His tattooed face.

Other Human Oddities.

Human Oddity art.

NEXT>

Question 9 of 10

9. Grady Stiles, Jr., billed as The Lobster Boy, shot and killed his daughter's fianc�, but didn't serve a day in prison. Why? Hint

His lawyer convinced the jury he was innocent.

His wife had him killed before he could be sentenced.

There was no handicapped access in prison and a sentence might constitute cruel and unusual punishment.

His daughter said she killed her fiance and was inmprisoned instead.

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Question 10 of 10

10. In the early 1920's carnival concessionaires Eddie and Grace Le May stopped for a rest in a small town and decided to stay. Soon others in the carnival and sideshow business were wintering in the town. The end of the 1940's, brought the Giant Al Tomaini and his wife Jeanie. They opened Giant's Camp, with a restaurant and cabins. Many show people even retired in this town. Where is it located? Hint

Gibsonton, Florida

Sanderson, Florida

Gibbins, Florida

Sampson, Florida

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Quiz Answer Key and Fun Facts

1. Fanny Mills was a petite 115 pounds, but suffered from Milroy's disease. What part of Fanny's body was afflicted?

Answer: feet

70 to 80 percent of people afflicted with Milroy's disease are women. Fanny wore a size 30 shoes, and was pitched as the Ohio Big Foot Girl. Each foot was nearly 19 inches long and 10 inches wide and she used pillowcases as socks.

2. Percilla and Emmitt Bejano were married in 1938, she was known as The Monkey Girl. What was so special about Emmitt?

Answer: He was the Alligator -Skinned Man

Percilla and Emmitt were married until Emmitt's death in 1995. Percilla once teased Emmitt saying "I think I'll shave and dye my hair blond and have a new look." Emmitt's response? "You do and I'm gonna walk out on you. I love you as you are." Percilla did not shave her face until the last few years of her life. She died in her sleep in 2001.

3. What caused the demise of Clarence H. Alexander, known as Elastic Skin Joe?

Answer: Suicide in front of an audience.

In 1927, under the sideshow tent, he swallowed a bottle of strychnine after he did not win the affections of the show's Tattooed Woman.

4. Sealo, born with no arms only hands, fought to over-turn a 1921 law which "prohibited the exhibition of any malformed, deformed, or disfigured human". In what state did this law exist?

Answer: Florida

Sealo, Ward Hall and Pete Terhurne, a dwarf, read of the law in 1972. They sued and the law was rescinded. After all, Florida at that time was where many of the performers lived and paid their taxes.

5. Ella Harper, known for walking on all fours, was exhibited along side lions and elephants, and was billed as The Camel Girl. What was so special about Ella?

Answer: Her knees turned bent backwards rather than forward.

In 1886 Ella was a star attraction with W. H. Harris's Nickel Plate Circus. She claimed to have only exhibited herself four years prior to 1886. She hoped to quit the side show circuit, go to school and find a better job. It is believed her salary of $200 a week earned her enough to do so.

6. Carrie Akers was said to be on her way to becoming a Bearded lady when she retired from show business. Nicknamed "Quarrelsome Carrie", why was she a double feature during her career?

Answer: She was a Fat Lady and a dwarf.

Carrie Akers was reported to have weighed 309 pounds and was 34 inches tall. It was said her unusual dimensions were like an average warthog.

7. Jean Carroll fell in love with a fellow sideshow performer. They wanted to be married, but her husband-to-be insisted she give something up before he would marry her. What did she give up?

Answer: Her beard

To marry John Carson, Jean Carroll had her beard removed by electrolysis, but not wanting to give up the sideshow she then became a Tattooed Lady with 700 designs including the Holy Family. She not only became the Tattooed Lady but added stripping to her act.

8. Michael Wilson, The Illustrated Man, helped launch the rebirth of the Coney Island sideshow in 1986. What was he the first person to exhibit since Jack Dracula in the early 1960's?

Answer: His tattooed face.

By 1980 Michael Wilson had covered most of his body with tattoos. He was also known for laying on a bed of nails and hammered a spike through his tongue into a two-by-four. Wilson suffered from diabetes, which did not go well with his lifestyle. In 1996 suffering from depression Wilson was found dead in his apartment. He apparently suffered a diabetic seizure.

9. Grady Stiles, Jr., billed as The Lobster Boy, shot and killed his daughter's fianc�, but didn't serve a day in prison. Why?

Answer: There was no handicapped access in prison and a sentence might constitute cruel and unusual punishment.

Grady was freed on probation.

Answer: Gibsonton, Florida

Gisbsonton is no longer as populated by show people as it once was, but it still has much to offer. The International Independent Showman's Association is headquartered off the highway. February brings The International Independent Showman's Association Trade Show & Extravaganza. Approximately 6,000 circus and carnival operators come for the event and nearly doubles the town's population.

Source: Author bustigger

This quiz was reviewed by FunTrivia editor DakotaNorth before going online.
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