1. Born in 1841 in Massachusetts, Isaac Sprague began life as a healthy, ordinary child — until, at the age of 12, his body began to change in ways science could not explain. Though he ate well and appeared healthy otherwise, he started to lose weight rapidly and uncontrollably. By adulthood, Sprague stood 5 feet 6 inches tall but weighed a shocking 43 pounds. Employment was nearly impossible, his strength was too little for physical labor, and his condition made ordinary work difficult. Out of necessity, Sprague turned to P.T. Barnum's traveling sideshows, where he was promoted as the "Living Human Skeleton." Audiences came in droves, fascinated by his ghostly frame, while Barnum capitalized on the spectacle. As the fascination with sideshows declined, so did Sprague's fortune. Fame faded, the crowds moved on, and he was left impoverished and forgotten. In 1887, at just 45 years old, Isaac Sprague passed away — alone, frail, and nearly penniless. Have you ever heard of this skin and bone person who lived most of his life as a sideshow attraction?
