Quiz Answer Key and Fun Facts
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?
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?
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?
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?
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?
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?
7. What medical condition was not exhibited in circus "sideshows" of the 19th century?
8. Grady Stiles was born with a condition known as ectrodactyly which resulted in claw-like hands and shortened, fin-like, lower extremities that led 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 USA in the 1980s when he was charged with killing his daughter's boyfriend. What is true about this "stranger than fiction" case?
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?
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?
Source: Author
mikej941
This quiz was reviewed by FunTrivia editor
Jim_in_Oz before going online.
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