1. The Great And Only
Barnum
The Tremendous, Stupendous,
Life Of Showman P.T. Barnum
2. Some Lies
In 1835, Barnum exhibited his first human curiosity, a
woman claiming that she was 161 years of age named
Joice Heath whose owner (showman Coley Bartram)
told Barnum that she was also George Washington’s
nurse. He eventually sold her to Barnum for a fortune.
But the public was fooled. Barnum held a show for
people to see her dissection, but then doctors testified
that the old woman was no older than 80! Barnum
appeared shocked to find out the real truth about her –
or did he already know this was a hoax?
3. Barnum’s American Museum
In 1841, the showman bought the collection at
Scudder’s American Museum in New York, then re-
opened it as Barnum’s American Museum. This museum
consisted of traditional museum exhibitions, unusual
artifacts, animals, an aquarium, as well as the exhibit of
the Fejee Mermaid. It became the most visited museum
in the country.
4. Midget Tom Thumb
In November 1842, Barnum met his second greatest
oddity, Charles Sherwood Stratton, a five year old
midget just 25 inches tall living in Bridgeport, CT.
Barnum renamed him General Tom Thumb and taught
him to sing and dance. Together, they toured the United
States and Europe becoming a tremendous success.
5. Jenny Lind
In 1850, Barnum promoted Jenny Lind, a Swedish
soprano, taking her to various cities around the United
States. Even though few had heard of Lind in this
country, Barnum’s ingenious advertising skills helped to
make the tour a smashing success and the country had
“Lindomania.” She was like the first “rock star”.
6. Political Life
In 1854, Barnum purchased 224 acres of land to create
the new community of East Bridgeport. He attracted
industry to the town and innovators such as Elias Howe,
inventor of the sewing machine. In 1865, he was
elected to the Connecticut state legislature. Ten years
later, in 1875, he became mayor of Bridgeport for one
term making many improvements to the city.
7. His Traveling Museum
Barnum and his business partner W.C. Coup, ran
one of the first circuses to travel entirely by
train. “Barnum’s Great Traveling Museum,
Menagerie, Caravan, Hippodrome & Circus” was
able to travel to more cities and capture a larger
audience in each city.
8. The Greatest Show On Earth
P.T. Barnum teamed up with James A. Bailey to form
“Barnum and Bailey’s Greatest Show On Earth” which
is still popular today. Together, they innovated the
American circus. The U.S. Army studied Bailey’s method
of moving masses of men, animals, and equipment so
efficiently.
9. The Three-Ringed Circus
Later, Barnum and Bailey invented the three-
ringed circus. It gave the audience more than it
could ever take in at once so people had to
come back to see it all.
10. Jumbo: The Largest Elephant
In 1882, Barnum bought Jumbo, the largest elephant in
captivity at that time from the London Zoo. He brought
the animal to America where Jumbomania quickly
swept the nation. The word “Jumbo” made its way into
the English language to mean “really big.”
11. P.T. Barnum: Zookeeper
During Barnum’s lifetime, zoology was a new science.
He earned a reputation among scientists as a great
zoologist, for not only observing his animals closely but
he also noted their habits and behaviors. He donated
his animals’ skeletons and hides to many well-known
institutions, such as the Smithsonian Institution, the
American Museum of Natural History, and the Peabody
Museum at Yale.
