Zip the What Is It? (1842 – April 24, 1926), whose real name was William Henry Johnson, was a freak show performer famous for his tapered head. Dressed in a suit of hair, and sheering most of his head to accentuate its unique shape, Barkers would proclaimed that Zip was a creature from Africa who lived with the apes. But he was actually born in New Jersey. When he was in his early 80s, Zip noticed a little girl waving her arms in the ocean off Coney Island and swam out to rescue her. Everyone on the beach cheered his valor, but he left the scene to avoid their accolades. When Zip died, his honorary pallbearers were Bunny Smith (the Fat Lady), Rosita the Tattooed Lady, Peter Robinson (the Human Skeleton), and Cliko the Dancing Bushman.
Source: Wikipedia
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