In the age when the electric light bulb had recently been invented (1879) and the mysterious invisible X-ray had emerged (1876) you could make a show demonstrating the miraculous and weirdness of these new technologies.

Thus was born the Electric Show, and much rarer and dangerous, X-Ray Show.

The tradition of course was much older than the late-20th Century, as showmen introduced the public to such modern inventions as anesthesia, laughing gas, microscopes, adding machines, etc.– making each of these inventions into a show to entertain, amaze and astonish.

The element of danger when it came to electric shows– demonstrating electric chairs and electricity in general– were less than most thought, as the showmen knew how to dazzle without killing anyone.