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The spy who ate live animals, documents, and possibly a toddler

Mark Frauenfelder
Jun 10, 2026
∙ Paid

IA Fillm Group/shutterstock.com

Tarrare was an 18th-century French showman and soldier who could eat almost without limit and was “constantly hungry.” As a performer, he “swallowed corks, stones, live animals, and a whole basketful of apples.” In the French Revolutionary Army, “even quadrupling the standard military ration was unable to satisfy his large…

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