E269: This Is The Saddest Show (part II)

In our final episode on the world of Freak Shows, we’re closing the curtain with the incredible, tragic, and sometimes triumphant stories of the performers themselves. Meet Schlitzie, the performer who inspired Freaks (1932), a beloved and misunderstood figure of the sideshow world. Krao, the so-called “Missing Link,” whose life challenges the cruel narratives forced upon her. Myrtle Corbin, the "Four-Legged Girl from Texas," who defied expectations and lived on her own terms. And the Two-Headed Nightingale, Millie and Christine McKoy, twin sisters who endured slavery, exploitation, and eventually reclaimed their voices—literally and figuratively. These were real people with real lives beyond the stage. Their stories are heartbreaking, shocking, and sometimes unexpectedly uplifting. Who profited from their existence? How did they navigate a world that both exploited and celebrated them? And what became of them after the applause faded? Step right up for the final chapter in our exploration of the history, myths, and realities of the sideshow. Freak Shows, human oddities, sideshow history, Schlitzie, Freaks (1932), microcephaly, exploitation, circus history, Victorian sideshows, 19th-century performers, 20th-century sideshows, freak show ethics, missing link hoaxes, Krao Farini, human zoos, Myrtle Corbin, dipygus, conjoined twins, Two-Headed Nightingale, Millie and Christine McKoy, P.T. Barnum, medical anomalies, disability and entertainment, tragic lives, forgotten history, sideshow legends, circus performers, American history, human curiosity, spectacle vs. humanity. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices