The historical inspirations behind American Horror Story: Freak Show?

Answer 1

• Bearded Lady

  Actress Kathy Bates portrays the bearded lady Ethel Darling on the show, but there are actually a small number of women who are able to grow facial hair. This can be the result of a hormonal imbalance or a genetic disorder called hypertrichosis. It can also be a side effect of anabolic steroid use. Two of the more famous bearded women of the circus sideshows included Barnum's Josephine Cofullia and Ringling Bros.' Jane Barnell.

• Lobster Boy

  In the mid 1900's, Grady Franklin Stiles, Jr. had a condition known as ectrodactyly, in which the fingers and toes are fused together. He was a sideshow performer whose stage name was "Lobster Boy." Stiles was actually 6th in a line of men in his family with the condition. In the show, the character "Jimmy Darling" is played by AHS regular Evan Peters.

• Conjoined Twins

  Sarah Paulson plays conjoined twins Bette and Dot on the show. But the most famous pair were Chang and Eng Bunker who were joined by a band of flesh and fused at the torso. Born in Siam, they travelled with P.T. Barnum's circus for years and were the first conjoined pair to be labeled "Siamese Twins."

• Strongman

  Back in the 19th century, a "strongman" was an exhibitor of strength who would perform various feats such as the bent press, steel bending and chain breaking. Some famous strongmen included Paul Edward Anderson, William Bankier and The Great Antonio. Michael Chiklis portrays the show's strongman Dell Toledo.

• Pinhead

  In the freak shows, those with microcephaly were commonly referred to as "pinheads." Microcephaly is a neurodevelopmental disorder that causes abnormal growth of the brain. Two of the more famous examples are Zip the Pinhead and Schlitzie the Pinhead who both appeared in the 1932 movie "Freaks." On AHS, Pepper the Pinhead is played by Naomi Grossman.

• Clown

  John Carroll Lynch portrays the psychopathic killer "Twisty the Clown" in AHS, but America's first 'white faced' clown was portrayed by George "G.L." Fox in the mid-1800's. He popularized the Humpty Dumpty stories throughout the first half of the 19th century.

• Three-Breasted Woman

  On the show, Angela Bassett portrays having an extra breast or "accessory breast" as almost glamorous. However, polymastia or multiple breast syndrome is a real condition. These breasts may appear without nipples or areolae and are found most often in males, surprisingly enough. In 2014, a woman from Florida claimed to have had a third breast added with the help of plastic surgery. However, it turned out to be a hoax.

• Fortune Teller

  Emma Roberts portrays fortune teller Maggie Esmerelda on AHS. Fortune-telling originally grew form folkloristic reception of Renaissance magic and received much criticism from the Christian, Muslim and Jewish faiths. Common methods include tarot reading, astromancy, scrying, and palmistry.