Today, if you were looking for a good time, you might throw on a pair of sneakers, head on down to the amusement park, and hop on a few rides. Afterwords, maybe you'd shoot a water gun, throw a tennis ball, or try and win a prize or two at the arcade. You know, normal fun things. But if you lived in the 1900s, you'd be grabbing a quarter and buying a ticket to see the local "freak show."

It's hard to imagine spending money to go and gawk at other human beings as a form of entertainment, but the 1900s were a different time, and carnival sideshows often drew large crowds as profitable endeavors. As you'd expect, conditions for performers were less than ideal, and many suffered premature deaths from a lack of proper care. But you can't tell the story of entertainment history without them, and many helped pave the way towards normalizing future acceptance.