Our 5 Most Weird and Wonderful Stories Of Immigrants Making It In America

From a vaudeville dancer with a secret past to New York's accidental king of virgin Russian hair, these mysterious and incredible lives couldn’t have happened anywhere else.

Hey, readers! We hope you’re all gearing up for a fun and festive Fourth of July. In honor of the holiday, we got to thinking about a handful of Narratively stories spotlighting people who have redefined success and belonging in the U.S.A. — or, in the case of one enterprising couple, those who have also desperately tried! They say you can be anyone you want to be in this country, and, well, these five stories of newcomers to our shores prove that some take the mantra further than most would ever imagine.

5. The Liberty Factory

From an unassuming workshop in Queens, a Romanian immigrant lives out his own version of the American dream, crafting one miniature Statue of Liberty souvenir at a time.

4. My Bizarre Reign as New York’s King of “Virgin Russian Hair”

Complete strangers wiring me $15k on the spot, smuggling blond ponytails across the Atlantic, secret rendezvous under the overpass — I just may have had the weirdest side hustle of all time.

3. The Acrobatic Immigrant Who Invented Pilates in a Prisoner of War Camp

Interned during WWI, circus entertainer Joseph Pilates used found materials and his fellow prisoners as his test lab, and imagined an exercise system that would captivate millions.

2. Searching for the Woman Who Saved My Immigrant Family from Homelessness

In this time of Islamophobia and hatred, I needed to understand what made a white stranger open her home to us.

1. The Audacious Tabloid Couple Who Scammed Their Way Into New York's High Society

The vaudeville dancer and his beguiling Parisian wife arrived in Manhattan in 1911 with secret identities in tow. They enjoyed wealth and notoriety for years—until it all came crashing down.