As the internet expands, the knowledge about those with special abilities grows alongside it. These ‘superhumans’ use their skills to entertain and amaze others, and include:
Zamora the Torture King
Tim Cridland, aka Zamora the Torture King, is a former member of the Jim Rose Circus, and his body can withstand extreme pain. The ability has manifested due to malfunctioning receptors in his nerve cells which cause him to not feel pain in the same way that normal people do. He uses his gift for shock entertainment and his performances include fire walking, sword swallowing, body skewering, sleeping on nails and electrocuting himself.
Monsieur Mangetout (Mr. Eat it All)
Michel Lolito shocked the world with his extreme eating, as he can digest items which would poison or kill others including: metal, glass and various toxins. Lolito has a rare condition which develops in the womb in which his stomach lining is twice as thick as others. His powers became apparent in his youth and, by the age of 9, Lolito had eaten his first TV set. ‘Mr. Eat it All’ used his abilities for entertainment purposes. He also entered the Guiness Book of Records after eating an aeroplane, over a period of two years.
Captain Sonar
Ben Underwood became known as Captain Sonar due to his incredible ability to ‘see’ via echolocation (using sounds to determine the location of things). Underwood was diagnosed with retinal cancer at the age of two, and had his eyes removed at three. By the age of five, he had begun to teach himself how to detect objects in his surroundings by making a quick clicking noise with his tongue. The sound would echo from each object, and Ben would use this to get around all obstacles. He became so skilled at echolocation that he could ride a bike, roller blade, and even play sports and video games using the sounds. Unfortunately, Ben passed away in his late teens, after the cancer had returned.
King Tooth
Valu Rathakrishnan has trained himself to be able to pull trains, and other incredibly heavy items, using only his teeth. In 2007, the strict vegetarian broke his own record by pulling a train weighing over 297.1 tonnes for 2.8 metres. At the age of 14, Valu was taught the ability to channel all his strength into a single body part by an Indian guru. Before he attempts any of these feats, King Tooth closes his eyes and breathes heavily. He holds his left index finger against his nose and his right index finger against his chest. He then touches his forehead and the top of his head, before sitting down to begin pulling. In addition to these last minute preparations, Valu’s daily schedule consists of waking at 4:30 am, performing meditative exercises, running 25 kilometres and partaking in strength training and jaw exercises.
DAVID VISSERS 