The Frozen Woman

Original article here.

Alas, two years after the coverage above, she was gone.



Original article here.

Posted By: Paul - Thu Nov 17, 2016 - Comments (6)
Category: Body, Human Marvels, Medicine, Nature, 1950s, Alcohol

Richie Jackson Skateboarding

Four million views, but perhaps new to YOU!

Posted By: Paul - Thu Sep 29, 2016 - Comments (1)
Category: Bicycles and Other Human-powered Vehicles, Eccentrics, Human Marvels, Sports

Lord Littlebrook, RIP

Obituary here.

Posted By: Paul - Wed Sep 14, 2016 - Comments (1)
Category: Entertainment, Human Marvels, Wrestling, 1980s, 1990s

Bouncing Billy Barker, Canal Jumper

Back in November 2008 I posted a video of Tony McCabe, a man who claimed he could jump on hen's eggs and human noses without breaking them, and who demonstrated his ability in 1974 on the UK's Nationwide TV program.



At the time, I thought McCabe was just some random, weird guy. But I recently learned that there's actually some broader historical context to his odd performance.

He was apparently one of the last of a type of British showman who would entertain crowds by performing jumping feats. They would jump into a crate of eggs and out again, without breaking any. Or jump on and off a man's nose without hurting him. Or jump on and off a candle, putting it out without breaking it. Or jump the length of a snooker table backwards from a standing start.

But the greatest feat these showmen aspired to perform was to jump across a canal, appearing to bounce off the water in the middle.

One of the most famous of these jumpers was Bouncing Billy Barker of Gorton in Manchester. He supposedly bounced across the Openshaw Canal, and then, as an encore, bounced back from the opposite site — backwards.

Tony McCabe was the protégé of Bouncing Billy Barker. But I'm guessing, based on the quality of McCabe's performance in the video, that he must not have attained the full level of skill of his master.

Read more about Bouncing Billy Barker at The Mudcat Cafe, ladagirl.com, and the Real Deal blog.

Manchester Evening News - circa 1992 (via ladagirl.com)

Posted By: Alex - Fri Sep 02, 2016 - Comments (2)
Category: Daredevils, Stuntpeople and Thrillseekers, Human Marvels

World’s Oldest Female Bodybuilder

Posted By: Paul - Wed Mar 30, 2016 - Comments (4)
Category: Body Modifications, Contests, Races and Other Competitions, Human Marvels, Sports, Elderly

Mike Greenstein, RIP

Obit here.

Posted By: Paul - Thu Feb 25, 2016 - Comments (4)
Category: Elderly and Seniors, Human Marvels, Obituaries

The Continuing Adventures of Rayo

After being ignored by most people when he nailed his tongue to a wooden board, Rayo the Fakir sealed himself with a snake inside a glass "bottle," in which he toured Europe. By the time he emerged, a year later, the snake had died.

Life magazine reported that the year-long stunt almost didn't happen because city authorities in Linz filed a temporary injunction, citing the act as "counter to the dignity of man... liable to produce panic... and creating an unhealthy condition for the inhabitant of the bottle."

I'm guessing Rayo wasn't actually Indian. He just pretended to be an Indian fakir as part of his act. (Basically, he was the David Blaine of the early 1950s.) Also, I think his last name was spelled "Schmied," though a lot of papers reported it as "Schmidt."

Newsweek - Jan 12, 1953

The Circleville Herald - Dec 26, 1953

Posted By: Alex - Tue Feb 02, 2016 - Comments (6)
Category: Human Marvels, 1950s

No one cared about Rayo

1952: Rayo the Fakir nailed his tongue to a wooden board, but no one cared about the feat.

Lethbridge Herald - Feb 29, 1952

Franklin News Herald - Mar 28, 1952

Fredericksburg Standard - Jun 18, 1952

Posted By: Alex - Mon Feb 01, 2016 - Comments (12)
Category: Human Marvels, 1950s

Canhead

Jamie Keeton has the unique ability to make cans stick to his head. No glue is used. Just his head's natural suction power.

And he's making quite a bit of money off this talent. He earns up to $1000 a day by renting out his head to companies who want their products stuck to his head. And sometimes he earns $8000 for an entire weekend of head suction.

More info: wzzm13.com

Posted By: Alex - Thu Jan 21, 2016 - Comments (6)
Category: Human Marvels

The Tick Tock Man

Sankey Flynn (1918-2001) had an unusual condition. His ears made a ticking sound, about twice every second, which earned him the nickname "Tick Tock." The noise was so loud that other people could easily hear it. It was caused by a "spasmodic contraction of muscles in the roof of his mouth." He never tried to find a cure for his condition because he said he was used to it.

I wonder how the TSA would have reacted to him.

The Waynesville Mountaineer - June 1, 1950

Somerset Daily American - Feb 26, 1951

Posted By: Alex - Sun Jan 10, 2016 - Comments (0)
Category: Body, Human Marvels, 1950s