While records related to the birth of Julia Pastrana are somewhat blurred, it is likely that she was born on the Sierra Madre’s Western slopes of Mexico. It is believed that she was born in the year 1834 (died: March 25, 1860). At that time, her physical characteristics of thick lips, wide ears and excessive hair growth caused great confusion: Some individuals theorized that she was the offspring of a human and an ape, a bear or a baboon, which led to her nicknames, ‘The Bear Woman,’ ‘The Baboon Lady’ and ‘The Ape Woman.’ read more

While some individuals are born with unique characteristics and others use body modification procedures to create themselves a unique persona, the man with two faces, Sam Alexander, was born an average man whose unique characteristics were the result of a personal disaster.

Sam Alexander – An Ordinary Man Becomes, Extraordinary

Alexander had aspirations of becoming an actor, so in his 20’s he began to pursue a career in show business. He was promoted to Chicago’s Shubert Theatre and his career path began to take shape. While the details are somewhat vague, Sam ultimately sustained injuries due to an explosion. It is said the explosion occurred due to his own carelessness. Instinctively, Sam saved his eyes by covering the upper portion of his face with his arm; however, his lower face bore the brunt of the blast. Unfortunately, Sam’s horror story continued: The burns around his lips and lower face became infected. The infection was so severe that doctors had no choice but to remove the majority of his lower face. The removal of his lips and skin left him with a gruesome appearance, which included a horrifying teeth-gnashing grimace. read more