Meet Myrtle, the Woman Who Was Born With 4 Legs and Eventually Became a Mom

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.

© Joseph Jones / Wikimedia Comons© Public Domain

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.

Ron Howard Reveals Secret to 49-Year Marriage – You Won’t Believe His ‘Good Luck Charm’!

Ron Howard has been famous for almost all of his 70 years. He’s had a nonstop career in film and television, starting as a toddler.

Besides his impressive career, Ron has also had a long-lasting marriage. He has been married to his wife Cheryl for almost 50 years.

Keep reading to learn more about Ron Howard, his long career, and his long marriage!

Ronald Howard was born on March 1, 1954, in Duncan, Oklahoma. He would grow up to become a Hollywood legend.

Howard started acting when he was only 18 months old, appearing in his first film, Frontier Woman. By the time he was two, he was on stage in The Seven Year

After his early start in the entertainment world, Ron Howard became known for his role as Opie on The Andy Griffith Show from 1960 to 1968.

During this time, playing the son of Griffith’s character, Howard had the support of his parents, who were also in the entertainment business.

Ron remembers a conversation he had with his parents when he was younger. They said, “Remember how we always said, ‘You can do it if you want, but you don’t have to?’ Well if you start this, you can’t quit. You don’t have to do other parts on other shows if you don’t want, but you’d have to keep doing this one.”

Ron Howard understood the message his parents gave him. He says, “I think it was pretty clear at that point that I was enjoying it, and I was good at it.”

In fact, he was really good at it, and he was about to become a big star.

While he was on The Andy Griffith Show, Howard also acted in a movie called The Music Man in 1962. It was a musical and it did really well.

He was a natural talent. Then, in 1973, he starred in American Graffiti. It also had actors like Harrison Ford, Richard Dreyfuss, and Cindy Williams, who he would work with again in the future.

In 1974, Ron Howard got a big role as Richie Cunningham in a new show called Happy Days, created by Garry Marshall. The show was on TV from 1974 to 1984 and was watched by people all over the world.

Happy Days was so popular that it led to other shows, like Laverne & Shirley, which starred Cindy Williams and Garry Marshall’s sister Penny, and Mork & Mindy, with Robin Williams as the funny character Mork from Ork.

Before he won a Golden Globe for his role as the innocent teenager on Happy Days, Ron Howard met his high school sweetheart, Cheryl Alley, in 1970. They got married in 1975.

“I met her, and there was never anybody else,” Speaking with People, the director of the Da Vinci Code continued, “She’s unbelievably supportive and always has been. Our compatibility has endured through all kinds of experiences.”

After 50 years of shared experiences, Howard, who earned an Oscar for directing A Beautiful Mind, commemorated the 50th anniversary of his first date with Cheryl on

On November 1, 1970, Ron Howard and Cheryl went on their first date. Ron shared a photo of himself wearing socks with Cheryl’s face on them. He wrote, “We went to see a movie called It’s a Mad Mad Mad World and then got pizza at a place called Barnone’s in Toluca Lake. Quite a start, right?”

He also said they planned to drive the same 1970 VW Bug they drove on their first date. It still runs great, just like their relationship.

Cheryl appeared in some of Ron’s projects and even played herself on a TV show called Arrested Development, which Ron produced and narrated.

Ron calls Cheryl his “good luck charm.” That’s why she appears in every movie he makes. He told the Television Academy this in an interview.

“I got really superstitious about making sure she appears, at least a little bit, in every movie,” Ron said. “It doesn’t have to be a big part, but she’s gotta be in there.”

Besides bringing him luck, Cheryl is also a writer. She has a bachelor’s degree in psychology and a master’s degree in screenwriting.

The couple has four children: daughter Bryce, twins Paige and Jocelyn, and son Reed. They’re also grandparents to six children.

Bryce, a well-known actor, has been in movies like Jurassic World and The Help. Paige started her movie career in Adventureland in 2009. She’s also been in movies like The Employer and Collection.

Reed is a professional golfer. Jocelyn, Paige’s twin sister, keeps her life private.

Ron and Cheryl are about to celebrate their 49th anniversary on June 7th. Ron, who has won an Emmy Award, says that “communication” is the secret to their lasting love.

Ron Howard and his actress daughter Bryce Dallas Howard. Credit: David Livingston / Getty.
Ron Howard and his actress daughter Bryce Dallas Howard. Credit: David Livingston / Getty.

What’s your favorite movie or TV show featuring Ron Howard, the talented actor, director, and producer?

Share your thoughts with us, and then pass this story along so we can hear from others too!

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