#34: The Only Man With a Revolving Head, Martin Joe Laurello in Sam Wagner’s “Freak Show” on Coney Island, 1938

Meet Martin Joe Laurello. He could turn his head right around (120 or 180 degrees, depending on whose account you believe). Although he was born with a genetic defect, he purportedly practiced this ability for years to perfect it, earning him a starring role in Coney Island’s freak show in the 1930s.

I’m pretty sure the days of freak shows and side shows are gone, and quite frankly, I’m not really sure what we’ve replaced them with. All sorts of people exist in society with all sorts of abnormalities, and they haven’t gone away. I guess maybe our approach is just letting them have a normal life.