Martin Laurello

Martin Joe Laurello , also known by the stage names Human Owl and Bobby the Boy with the Revolving Head, was a GermanAmerican sideshow performer and biological rarity who could turn his head 180 degrees. He performed with groups such as Ripleys Believe it or Not, Ringling Brothers, and Barnum amp Bailey. He also trained animals to do things such as acrobatics.

Laurello was born Martin Emmerling in Germany circa 1886. In 1921, together with a handful of other freaks from Europe, Laurello arrived in the United States. Laurello could turn his head 180 degrees. In the words of fellow sideshow performer Percilla Berjano, known as the Monkey Girl, could put his head all the way around. To accomplish this feat, he reportedly practised rotating his head for three years and also had to dislocate various vertebrae. Being born with a slightly bent spine might have also aided Laurello in pulling off his act of flexibility.

Source: Wikipedia