Not too long ago, people would pay money to gawk and stare at a performer with
a physical disformity. They were called freakshows and they began in large
part thanks to P.T. Barnum, whose circus we still enjoy today. Sounds awful,
but some of these performers became rich folks as a result. Exploitive? You
decide.
Learn more about advertising on the HowStuffWorks podcasts at
[www.howstuffworks.com/advertisers.htm](http://www.howstuffworks.com/advertisers.htm)
And to learn about your ad choices when listening to podcasts, visit
Read more
Not too long ago, people would pay money to gawk and stare at a performer with
a physical disformity. They were called freakshows and they began in large
part thanks to P.T. Barnum, whose circus we still enjoy today. Sounds awful,
but some of these performers became rich folks as a result. Exploitive? You
decide.
Learn more about advertising on the HowStuffWorks podcasts at
[www.howstuffworks.com/advertisers.htm](http://www.howstuffworks.com/advertisers.htm)
And to learn about your ad choices when listening to podcasts, visit
Read less