First tattooed storyteller emerges in the U.S.

The Irishman James F. O'Connell is the first tattooed man to be exhibited in the United States, where he recounted his incredible adventures during the years he spent in the Caroline Islands (Micronesia). He has also left an extensive written account.

The Life and Adventures of James F. O'Connell, the Tattooed Man (1845)
The Story of James O'Connell and his Pohnpeian Tattoos