Josephine Myrtle Corbin was born with a rare birth defect called polymelia, meaning born with extra limbs, in her case, she had 4 legs, 2 normal ones and 2 smaller ones that grew from her hips. But there was more to it. She also had 2 sets of reproductive organs and 2 pelvises. Because of this rare occurrence, she’s probably one of the few people in history considered wonders. Let’s delve into Myrtle’s story and discover her exceptional life milestones.Myrtle was considered a rare and remarkable case of human development.
Josephine Myrtle Corbin, an American sideshow performer, came into the world in 1868 as a remarkable medical rarity. Affected by a condition known as dipygus, she possessed two lower bodies from the waist down. This unusual phenomenon occurred due to her body axis splitting during development, resulting in two separate pelvises side by side. Remarkably, her smaller inner legs were paired with one of her outer legs. While Myrtle could move her inner legs, but they were too weak to walk on.
Born in Tennessee to her parents, William and Nancy, Myrtle’s arrival brought both wonder and concern. At 25, her father, William, and 34-year-old mother, Nancy, welcomed the unique little Myrtle into their lives. Medical professionals noted that if Myrtle had been delivered breech, with her bottom first, it could have been potentially fatal for both her and her mother. Thankfully, Myrtle’s early days were promising, as she displayed signs of strength, weighing 10 lb (4.5kg) just 3 weeks after her birth.
Myrtle’s father was facing financial hardship and had to think of ways to support his growing family.
© Charles Eisenmann (1855-1927) / Wikimedia Commons, © Public domain, © Palette.fm
At the age of 5 weeks, people had the opportunity to visit William Corbin and marvel at his four-legged daughter for a small fee. As the years passed, Myrtle grew up accustomed to the constant stares and astonishment from those who encountered her rare condition. Her inner legs never fully developed, her right foot was clubbed, and both of the smaller legs had 3 toes on each foot.
Over the following decade, William took Myrtle on a journey across the country, where she participated in fairs, sideshows, and dime museums. By the time she turned 14, she had achieved success and managed to secure a lucrative contract paying her an unusually high salary of $250 per week.
The four-legged girl, Myrtle, had a younger sister named Ann, who fortunately did not suffer from any birth defects.
Myrtle married when she was 18 and later became a mother.
© James R. Applegate (1849–1910), Philadelphia / Wikimedia Commons, © Public Domain, © Palette.fm
As Myrtle entered adulthood, she grew weary of the constant attention she received due to her condition. At 18, she decided to marry James Bicknell, a medical student, after which she retired from her performing career. Interestingly, her fame had inspired others to attempt to fake her unique deformity, but all of these impostors were eventually exposed as frauds.
A year into their marriage, Myrtle experienced troubling symptoms like fever, nausea, headaches, and side pains. Concerned, she sought medical attention, and to her disbelief, the doctor revealed that she was pregnant on her left side. Myrtle skeptically responded, saying, “If it had been on my right side, I would come nearer believing you are correct.” The pregnancy proved challenging for her health, and doctors even advised her to consider an abortion due to the severity of her illness. However, Myrtle managed to recover swiftly.
Over the following years, James and Myrtle welcomed seven more children into their family. Tragically, only 5 of them survived infancy, 4 daughters and a son.
© Unknown author / Wikimedia Commons, © Public Domain
The family lived a quiet life until their 5 children reached adulthood. Then Myrtle re-entered the show business. In 1909, when Myrtle was 41, she was a part of Huber’s Museum exhibit, appearing as The Four-Legged Girl from Cleburne, Texas. She often dressed her 4 legs in matching shoes and socks, to the audience’s delight. She was making $450 per week at the time.
In 1928, Myrtle developed a skin infection on her right leg, and the doctor diagnosed her with erysipelas or a strep infection. A week later, on May 6th, 1928, Myrtle passed away. Her casket was covered in concrete, and family members kept watch until it was fully cured to prevent grave robbers from stealing her remains.
Almost a century later, Josephine Myrtle Corbin Bicknell continues to inspire others by proving that even in the 19th century, a woman could forge a successful career and become a mother all at once.
Аngеlinа Jоliе’s lеаkеd еmаil tо Вrаd Рitt’s shоws thе rеаlity оf thеir mаrriаgе аnd divоrсе
When Brad Pitt and Jennifer Aniston split, the world went silent. But as much as fans were devastated over the failed romance, they were as eager and as excited to see how the on-screen relationship between the Once Upon a Time in Hollywood star and actress Angelina Jolie will proceed in real life.
Eventually, Brad and Angelina became a thing.
Sadly, the couple called it quits years later, when Jolie filed for divorce in 2016, shortly after the news of an alleged incident involving Pitt and the couple’s oldest son Maddox on the family’s private plane emerged.
Although no one knows what really happened, the alleged child abuse was investigated by the FBI and the Los Angeles Department of Child and Family Services, and Pitt was cleared of any child abuse allegations almost immediately, as per US Weekly.
The divorce and the lengthy custody battle between Pitt and Jolie is remembered as one of the nastiest ones in recent times when it comes to celebrity couples.
On January 21, 2021, Jolie emailed her ex-husband, and that email became public. In it, she states that she writes “with a heavy heart,” informing Pitt of her decision to sell Miraval, “a business that is centered around alcohol.” Many believe this is a reference to the above mentioned plane incident during which Pitt allegedly chocked Maddox and then poured alcohol on her and the children.
The Maleficent star further wrote, “Even now impossible to write this without crying.
“Above all, it is the place we brought the twins home to, and where we were married over a plaque in my mother’s memory. A place…where I thought I would grow old…. But it is also the place that marks the beginning of the end of our family.
“Miraval for me died September 2016,” she continued, “and everything I have seen in the years since has sadly confirmed that.”
In February 2021, Pitt agreed to pay Jolie $54.5 million to buy her stake in Miraval. However, the business deal was affected by their ongoing divorce proceedings.
She submitted sealed documents which involved information regarding the plane incident, after which Pitt asked Jolie to sign an NDA which prohibited her from “discussing outside of court any of Pitt’s personal conduct toward her or the family” for the sale of the property.
Jolie dubbed the request an “unconscionable gag order.”
But Pitt framed his request as vital toward the sale as he wanted to “ensure the seller doesn’t damage the value of the asset after being paid for it.”
On October 5, 2021, Jolie Nouvel, the holding company which controlled her portion of shаrеs for Miraval to Tenute del Mondo, the wine division of the Stoli group controlled by Russian billionaire Yuri Shefler, for $67 million.
“It is not a coincidence that she sold her interest in Miraval to an adversarial party, and part of the family home to a stranger, right after a judge granted Brad a huge win: 50-50 custody,” a source close to Pitt shаrеd with ET Online. John Ouderkirk, the judge who had awarded Pitt joint custody was later removed from the case by a panel of three judges, and his ruling was vacated.
In February 2022, Pitt filed a lawsuit against his ex, her holding company, and the new owners of Miraval claiming that Jolie had “contributed nothing to Miraval’s success.” Stoli filed a cross-complaint “for the illegal and malicious actions of Pitt and his allies to injure Nouvel by devaluing its investments and depriving it of its proper role in the management of Chateau Miraval, the world-famous producer of rosé wine.”
Pitt filed an amended complaint seeking to have Jolie’s sale of Nouvel reversed on June 1, 2023.
“Brad has owned everything he’s responsible for from day one, but he’s not going to own anything he didn’t do,” Anne Kiley, who represents Pitt said.
Following the fuss surrounding their divorce, Pitt has moved on and is now dating someone else.
“Brad is very careful and intentional about who he dates. He likеs to ease into things and let things grow naturally,” a source said.
Rumors are that Pitt’s new girlfriend is Ines de Ramon, who was famously married to Paul Wesley of Vampire Diaries fame. People close to the couple say they are “happy being low-key.”
“Brad and Ines are still seeing each other and having fun. They enjoy each other’s company and have similar interests. They’re both creative, likе to travel, and are happy being low-key. Things are good between them, but Brad isn’t rushing anything,” the source clarified.
As per Entertainment Tonight, the couple was spotted together in December 2022. “It is still new, but they are seeing where things go and likе each other,” a source revealed at the time. “They are having a good time together.”
They were vacationing in Mexico together.
Whether or not he introduced her to his children has not yet been revealed, but people close to him say she’s in the room when he speaks to his kids.
Ines was spotted wearing a charm necklace with the letter B hanging on and it’s not confirmed whether if it’s in honor of her new love.
Leave a Reply