William McKenna, The Human Ostrich Who Made A Living Eating Nails, Glass And Live Frogs
A 19th century sideshow act discovered his unusual eating ability after accidentally ingesting glass as a teen while at work
There have long been people who bill themselves as curiosities, performing behavior that most find odd or alarming. A significant sub-section of this group are people who eat vast quantities or consume bizarre things. An early pioneer in this regard was a slight man named William V. McKenna, who began billing himself as the ‘Human Ostrich” after discovering an affinity for eating glass, and parlaying that into publicly devouring all manner of things, including glass, metal, nails, live frogs and more to make a living.
It was said that McKenna first noticed his appetite for glass when he was 14 and working in a Brooklyn glass factory in the early 1880s. Glass dust would land in his food when he was taking a break for lunch and he discovered that he enjoyed its taste and texture.
It wasn’t long before the young man tried ingesting other unusual items and found that they also agreed with his palate. One thing led to another and before long he gained a reputation for his bizarre gastronomy.
