

The Incredible Story of Martin Laurello, The Sideshow Performer With The Revolving Head
Nothing shone with more opportunity at the turn of the century than the United States. Many thousands of people came to America in search of a better life. With the popularity of sideshows and circuses, spectacle could be found everywhere, and people like Martin Laurello, who performed tricks for large audiences, could make a living.
Aside from featuring life-threatening acts like lion taming and sword swallowing, sideshows also featured disfigured individuals on stage for onlookers to marvel at.

Laurello earned the nickname “Human Owl” for turning his head 180 degrees in response to applause during the height of P.T. Barnum’s success, a time when the obscene was turned into profit.
Turning Into The “Human Owl”
Martin Laurello didn’t look like a sideshow “freak,” in contrast to most of his contemporaries; instead, up until he revealed his startling trick, he looked like any other citizen. That’s because he never forced his head to face backward; rather, he was born with the ability. He had to spend years training in order to become an expert in it.
When Martin Joe Laurello arrived in the United States in 1921, he went by Martin Emmerling, despite being born in Nuremberg, Germany, in 1885. It’s unclear if he chose the new name he had acquired or if immigration had given it to him, but his talent would soon be widely recognized.
Laurello stood out among the many Europeans who fled their homelands in pursuit of better opportunities, notoriety, or wealth. He had spent the better part of three years learning how to turn his head around to a maximum angle of 120 degrees, and he was happy to gain any extra inch that he could. As a result, he was in great demand for his abilities.

Laurello debuted his act at the Dreamland Circus Sideshow at Coney Island. Captain Jack Bonavita, the lion tamer, had lost an arm in the seaside theme park before. This is where Laurello gained notoriety—or, more accurately, the moniker “Human Owl.”
Laurello’s ability to sip beer with his head fully turned around was remarkable. Nevertheless, he was unable to breathe or smoke. The name “Bobby The Boy With The Revolving Head” was printed on the banner that went with his act. Sideshow performers, regardless of age, were referred to as “boys” or “girls” respectively.
Laurello also appeared in shows at the Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus, although the performances had to move indoors during the winter. He was employed by strongman Charlie Felton, sword swallower Alex Linton, and Roy Heckler—who was in charge of a well-trained group of fleas—at Hubert’s Museum in New York.
The Martin Laurello Legacy

The Legacy Of Martin LaurelloLaurello was hired by the Ripley’s Believe It or Not! after years of touring cities like Philadelphia, Newark, and Paterson with Hubert’s dime museum! The Odditorium, circa 1930. “The only person in the world who can walk straight ahead and look straight behind” is how he was marketed.
Even though Laurello was a household name to any viewer who purchased a ticket, his personal life started to suffer. Alexander was the son of his marriage to Laura Precht, which ended in divorce, and he later entered into another unsuccessful marriage. Interestingly, it resulted in his apprehension while he was performing.
Laurello left his second wife Emilie Wittl and their two sons behind, never to be seen again. After Wittl filed a formal complaint with the police, on April 30, 1931, Baltimore police quickly arrested Laurello for spousal abandonment. He turned his head back and winked at the officers.
According to The New York Times, “he was looking right at his audience, standing on a platform with his back to the crowd.” He gave the two cops and the audience a wink. They winked back, took him into custody. The New York police were notified and he was placed under $500 bond.
The claims that he was a Nazi sympathizer were arguably the darkest stain on his legacy. He most likely saw Adolf Hitler’s subtle calls to fortify the country as encouraging since he had fled his devastated fatherland soon after World War I. In the end, Hitler was named 1938’s “Man of the Year” by TIME.
Related Articles
- The story of Lionel the Lion-Faced Man, Stephan Bibrowski
- Frank Lentini, The Three-Legged Sideshow Performer
- The Heartbreaking Story Of Ella Harper, The ‘Camel Girl’
According to his former coworker Percilla Bejano, “he was a Nazi.” “And he didn’t like the American flag. You meet all kinds on the sideshow — worse than me!”
In the end, not much is known about the last years of Laurello. His head was replicated and rotated in Times Square during the New York World’s Fair in 1939–1940. Three years prior to his heart attack death in 1952, he gave his final performance that was officially documented.
Some said that in order for him to fully turn his head, he had to “dislocate several vertebrae,” while others asserted that his spine was “twisted” from birth. Ultimately, that mystery will always remain unsolved due to a lack of x-rays. A challenge to those who wish to give it a try, Laurello once asserted that anyone could accomplish it with enough practice.

The story of Lionel the Lion-Faced Man, Stephan Bibrowski
Stephen Bibrowski, also known as Lionel the Lion-faced Man, was a well-known sideshow entertainer. His entire body was covered in long hair, giving him the appearance of a lion; this was most likely due to a rare condition known as hypertrichosis. Lionel traveled to the United States in 1901 and began performing with the Barnum and Bailey Circus.

The story of a boy who claims to be on Mars: Boriska Kipriyanovich
Boriska Kipriyanovich, who lives in Volgograd, Russia, claims he lived on Mars before being resurrected on Earth on a mission to redeem humanity. What we know about him is as follows:

The Real-Life Sleeping Beauty: A Girl with Hypersomnia Syndrome
An Indonesian 17-year old teenager Siti Raisa Miranda or Echa, has a rare medical condition formally called Kleine-Levin syndrome (KLS) where she can sleep for days and weeks without being woken up. Echa was only 13 when she first slept for a week. She’s now 17, and her parents still need to feed her and change her clothes when she experiences the deep levels of grogginess.

Inspirational Journey of Billy Owen From Cancer Patient to Zombie Actor
A man called Billy Owen lost an eye and half of his face to cancer and used it to start a career as a zombie actor.

Preserving Bodies in a Deep Freeze Await Revival
There are currently hundreds of deceased people in the U.S., including baseball legend Ted Williams, whose bodies are frozen in liquid nitrogen in hopes that future technology will be able to revive them.

In 2018, a 30-year-old survived a close-range gunshot thanks to silicone implant
In 2018, a 30-year-old woman from Toronto, Canada survived a close-range gunshot thanks to her silicone breast implant. Doctors believe that the implant deflected the bullet away from her vital organs, and her only injury was a fractured rib.

Sandy Island: The Phantom Island That Fooled Maps and Google Earth for Centuries
Sandy Island, charted since 1774, was long considered a phantom island in the Coral Sea. Despite appearing on maps and Google Earth, it was "undiscovered" by scientists in 2012, revealing only deep ocean instead of land. The island's existence was likely a cartographic error or a misidentified pumice raft.

The story of Bill Haast, who lived to be 100 despite his extensive snake venom injections
Bill Haast immunized himself by injecting snake venom into his blood for several years. He holds the Guinness World Record for surviving the most lethal snake bites, having been bitten over 172 times. Bill became known as "Snake Man" around the world and lived for over 100 years.

Bruce Campbell converted a Boeing 727-200 into a home
In 1999, a man bought a Boeing 727-200 for $100,000 and uses it as his house, then spent another $120,000 moving it from the Hillsboro airport and setting it up on his undeveloped property.

The Story of Tsutomu Yamaguchi: The Man Who Survived Both Atomic Bombs
Tsutomu Yamaguchi’s story is one of astonishing survival and resilience. In August 1945, while on a business trip in Hiroshima, he endured the catastrophic atomic bombing and, unbelievably, survived to return to his home city of Nagasaki—only to face a second atomic attack days later. Officially recognized as the only person to survive both bombings, Yamaguchi’s life is a powerful testament to human courage, hope, and the devastating impact of nuclear warfare.

[solved] “macaroni mystery”, 500 pounds of pasta dumped in new jersey
In April 2023, Old Bridge, New Jersey, faced a peculiar 'Macaroni Mystery' when 500 pounds of pasta were mysteriously dumped in the woods.

the world from someone predicting 2000 from a guy in 1910
Villemard, a French artist, illustrated how he imagined the future would be in the year 2000 in 1910.

Roller Coasters were First Invented to Distract People from sin
Roller coasters were invented to distract Americans from sin. In the 1880s, hosiery businessman LaMarcus Thompson didn’t like that Americans were going to places like saloons and brothels and created the first roller coaster on Coney Island to persuade them to go there instead.

The mystery of India's 'lake of skeletons'
In 1942, a British forest guard in India made an alarming discovery. Some 16,000 feet above sea level, at the bottom of a small valley, was a frozen lake absolutely full of skeletons.

The 1814 London beer flood
In 1814, there was a beer flood in London when a tank containing more than 300,000 gallons ruptured in which 8 people drowned.

Kim Peek: The Real Rain Man Who Memorized 12,000 Books
Kim Peek wasn’t just a man with an extraordinary memory—he was a megasavant whose astonishing ability to recall the contents of over 12,000 books inspired the iconic character Raymond Babbitt in the film Rain Man. Able to read two pages at once, scanning one with each eye, Peek could memorize an entire book in about an hour. Despite his phenomenal talents, he faced developmental challenges and lived a unique life that changed perceptions about human potential and cognitive diversity. This article explores the remarkable story of Kim Peek, his capabilities, and the legacy he left behind.

Domestic Flight Delay Caused by Live Snake on Board Leaves Passengers in Shock
A domestic flight was unexpectedly delayed for nearly two hours after a snake was discovered slithering inside the plane’s cargo hold. Thanks to the swift efforts of a professional snake catcher and airline staff, the reptile was safely removed without any harm to passengers, turning a potentially alarming situation into a story of caution and calm.

The Heartbreaking Story Of Ella Harper, The ‘Camel Girl’
Ella Harper, Professionally known as the “Camel Girl” was born with a rare orthopedic condition that cased her knee to bend backward. Due to this condition, had to walked on all four legs, which resulted in her nickname as “Camel Girl”. Tough it was hard at first, but soon she made a fortune out of it.

Chocolate Rain in Switzerland: How a Factory Malfunction Turned Olten Into a Sweet Spectacle
In 2020, chocolate 'rained' from the sky in a town in Switzerland. This incident was caused by a ventilation system malfunction at a chocolate factory in Olten. Strong winds then carried the snow-like cocoa powder and spread it around in the immediate vicinity of the factory, covering cars and other things in chocolate.

Poland's Krzywy: The Mysteries of the Crooked trees
In Poland, there is a forest with 400 crooked trees that have a 90-degree bend at the base of their trunks. Despite of numerous possibilities, the real reason and how it evolved remain a mystery.

A man who has been suffering from headaches for nearly six months discovers chopsticks lodged in his brain
When it was discovered that a Vietnamese man with headaches and vision problems had chopsticks lodged in his brain, the doctors were almost as surprised as the man himself.

The Google Maps Discovery: the Mystery of William Moldt's Disappearance
In 2019, Google Maps helped solve the decades-old mystery of William Moldt, who disappeared in 1997. A former resident spotted his submerged car in a retention pond while using Google Earth. The vehicle, visible since 2007, contained Moldt's skeletal remains, providing closure to his case.

Khuk Khi Kai: Thailand’s Infamous “Chicken Poop Prison” and Its Gruesome Legacy
Thailand used to have a prison called "Khuk Khi Kai," or "Chicken poop prison." The first floor of the prison contained prisoners, and the second floor was a large chicken coop. The grated floor ensured that prisoners were constantly subjected to chicken poop.

San Pedro prison in La Paz, Bolivia: community inside prison
Bolivia’s largest prison has a society within itself and no guards inside the walls. Inmates elect their own leaders, make their own laws, get jobs to pay for their cell’s rent, and can even live with their families.

The Mystery of Canada's Magical Spotted Lake
Lake Khiluk, the world's most mineralized lake, and one of the most mysterious places on Earth. Each of these spots has a distinct chemical content and is said to cure various diseases.