For nearly 150 years, the Barnum and Bailey Circus was celebrated as the greatest show on earth. This incredible spectacle was made possible by a man named P.T. Barnum. While some people found his methods controversial, Barnum was a genius in business, and his ideas changed entertainment forever.
Phineas Taylor Barnum was born in 1810 in Bethel, Connecticut. His family was not wealthy, but he grew up believing he owned a valuable piece of land called “Ivy Island.” When he finally visited it, he discovered it was just a swampy area with snakes and poison ivy. This disappointment fueled his desire to become truly wealthy one day.
Barnum wasn’t interested in farming like his parents. Instead, he worked in a grocery store, where he discovered his love for business. After his father’s death, Barnum became the family breadwinner and started various ventures, including a successful lottery. By 16, he moved to Brooklyn to open his own store, but illness forced him back home. Undeterred, he opened a candy shop and continued his lotteries.
At 25, Barnum met Joice Heth, an elderly woman claiming to be George Washington’s nanny. He paid to display her, and people were fascinated. Even after her death revealed she wasn’t as old as claimed, Barnum realized the power of a good story in attracting crowds.
He experimented with different shows but found his true calling in the circus. Barnum joined a traveling circus to learn the ropes and eventually started his own troupe, “Barnum’s Grand Scientific and Musical Theater.” He even bought a steamboat for performances along rivers.
In 1841, Barnum bought Scudder’s American Museum and turned it into a must-see attraction. He added exotic animals, magicians, and even a rooftop garden with balloon rides. One of his famous hoaxes was the “Fiji Mermaid,” a creature made from a monkey skeleton and a fish tail.
Barnum also created a “Freak Show,” providing jobs for people with unique physical traits. He treated them well, and many became successful. One of his stars was Charles Stratton, known as “Tom Thumb,” a talented performer who charmed audiences worldwide.
With his museum’s success, Barnum built a grand palace called Iranistan in Connecticut. He brought in famous guests and even convinced Swedish singer Jenny Lind to perform in the U.S. Her concerts were a hit, earning both her and Barnum a fortune.
Sadly, fires destroyed Iranistan and his museum, but Barnum’s spirit remained unbroken.
At 60, Barnum started a traveling circus, using trains to move his performers and equipment. He teamed up with James Bailey to create the famous Barnum & Bailey Circus, known for its three-ring format and star attractions like Jumbo the Elephant. The circus continued to entertain audiences for over a century.
As Barnum aged, people began to appreciate his contributions to entertainment. He wrote several books and even served as the mayor of Bridgeport, Connecticut. He worked to end slavery and left a lasting legacy in the world of entertainment.
Barnum passed away in 1891, but his influence lives on. A statue in Bridgeport honors his memory, and his ideas continue to inspire the world of entertainment today.
Imagine you are P.T. Barnum and create your own mini circus. Think about what acts you would include and how you would attract an audience. Design posters and write a short script for a performance. Present your circus idea to the class and explain why it would be the greatest show on earth!
Choose one of the unique performers from Barnum’s “Freak Show” and research their life and career. Create a presentation that highlights their talents, challenges, and how Barnum helped them succeed. Discuss the ethical implications of Barnum’s methods and whether they were exploitative or uplifting.
Imagine you are curating an exhibit for Barnum’s American Museum. Choose a theme, such as exotic animals or famous hoaxes, and design an exhibit that would attract visitors. Include interactive elements, such as quizzes or virtual reality experiences, to make it engaging for your classmates.
Write a diary entry from the perspective of P.T. Barnum during a significant moment in his life, such as the opening of his museum or the first performance of his circus. Describe his thoughts, feelings, and motivations. Share your entry with the class and discuss how Barnum’s experiences shaped his legacy.
Participate in a class debate about whether P.T. Barnum was an exploiter or an uplifter. Research evidence to support your position and prepare arguments. Engage in a respectful discussion with your classmates, considering both the positive and negative aspects of Barnum’s career and impact on entertainment.
**Sanitized Transcript:**
For 146 years, the Barnum and Bailey Circus was known for being the greatest show on earth. None of it would have been possible if it were not for an ambitious entrepreneur named P.T. Barnum. While his life and career were sometimes the source of controversy, he was a brilliant businessman, and many of his ideas forever changed the entertainment industry as we know it today.
**Early Life**
Phineas Taylor Barnum was born in 1810 in Bethel, Connecticut. His parents, Philo Barnum and Irene Taylor, were farmers who rented out rooms in their home for extra income. His grandfather was a well-respected judge in the town. On the day of his baptism, P.T. Barnum inherited a 4.7-acre piece of land from his grandfather called “Ivy Island.” His parents were poor, but as a child, he grew up believing he was the richest kid in town because he thought he inherited a private island. When he was 10 years old, his parents took him on a trip to visit Ivy Island, where he discovered that it was virtually worthless. The island was muddy land in the middle of a swamp, filled with poisonous snakes, ticks, and poison ivy. He never did anything with the land, which is now part of a nature reserve called the Bethel Land Trust.
This was disappointing and left him yearning for a reality where he could be rich enough to buy a private island someday. However, he wasn’t interested in traditional ways of making money. By his own admission, he had the reputation of being “the laziest boy in town” because he disliked farm work and manual labor. Instead of forcing Phineas into caring for the family farm, his father helped him get a job as a clerk in the town grocery store. This was a perfect fit, and Phineas grew to love the idea of running his own business.
When he was only 15 years old, his father died, and he became the man of the family. This motivated him even more to make as much money as possible. He was possessed by the entrepreneurial spirit and began trying different business ventures right away. His most successful business as a teenager was running a lottery. While working in the grocery store, he had an endless supply of glass bottles and tin advertising trays that he was expected to throw away. He started selling tickets for a lottery, promising that half of the tickets sold would win something. He sold 1,000 tickets in just the first week and continued to run the lottery repeatedly.
At 16, he used the money he earned from these lotteries to move to Brooklyn, New York, to open his own grocery store. Unfortunately, he caught smallpox and had to move back to Connecticut for his mother to help nurse him back to health. After recovering, he knew he needed to try again. At 18, he opened a confectionery shop in his hometown that sold fruit and candy, allowing him to run more lotteries in his own store. He married his first wife, Charity Hallett, at 19, and they would eventually have four daughters together. While he was never overly romantic, he did write that his wife was a “treasure” and that “Without Charity, I am nothing.”
At 21, he wrote several passionate articles about politics and sent them to the local newspaper, but they were all rejected. He decided that if no one was going to publish his work, he would self-publish his own paper called The Herald of Freedom. He had enough money to buy his own printing press and handed out the newspapers in town. In one of his articles, he exposed the corrupt leaders of the town’s local church. The men sued him for libel since he had no proof to back up his claims in court. He ended up paying a $100 fine and spent 60 days in jail. When he was released, he became a local hero and a leader of the liberal movement. Everyone loved him in Bridgeport, but he decided he had achieved all he could in Connecticut and wanted to move to New York City for more opportunities.
**The First Taste of Show Business**
P.T. and Charity Barnum bought a boarding house in New York City to earn income by renting out extra rooms, just like his parents had done back in Connecticut. He used his retail knowledge to have partial ownership of a grocery store without doing any of the work and continued running his weekly lotteries. He set himself up in a great financial situation while still in his early 20s. His family’s basic needs were met, but he sought bigger and better ways to make money.
At 25, he met a man who told him about Joice Heth, an elderly African American woman who claimed to be George Washington’s nanny. Barnum paid her owner $1,000 to put her on display. She looked incredibly old, and people believed she might truly be 161. After a year of touring, she died, and a public autopsy revealed she was only about 80 years old. Despite the deception, people still enjoyed the spectacle, giving Barnum a preview of the showman experience. He realized that if he could find more fantastic attractions, he wouldn’t have to do the hard manual labor he dreaded.
Barnum tried selling tickets to acts with performers specializing in juggling and plate spinning, but those shows did not do well as people had seen them before. He realized he had gotten lucky with Joice Heth as his first attraction. When he was 26, he temporarily left his wife and children to join a traveling circus to learn about show business. The owner of the circus, Aaron Turner, gave him first-hand experience with getting a crowd’s attention. The day before their opening show, Turner pointed at Barnum, claiming he was Reverend Ephraim Avery, who was known for being acquitted of murder. The crowd, believing Turner’s claim, began chasing Barnum, ready to take justice into their own hands. At the last moment, Turner revealed it was a practical joke. This stunt generated buzz, and people wanted to see the show.
After six months with the circus, Barnum started his own small troupe called “Barnum’s Grand Scientific and Musical Theater.” He even bought a steamboat for tours and performances along the southern rivers. However, after a year on the road, he became homesick and returned to New York, hoping to find a way to display curiosities and performances without traveling.
**The American Museum**
In 1841, Barnum purchased Scudder’s American Museum and transformed it into a more appealing place to visit. He added flags to the outside and created an elaborate rooftop garden with hot air balloon rides. Inside, he had a menagerie of exotic animals, magicians, and miniaturized recreations of famous battles. Barnum was a genius at attracting visitors. When the museum first opened, ticket sales were low, so he hired an unemployed man to perform a daily ritual that drew attention and curiosity, ultimately increasing ticket sales.
As time went on, Barnum used ticket sales to improve his displays. He introduced one of his most famous hoaxes, The Fiji Mermaid, claiming it was a mermaid caught off the coast of Fiji, but it was actually a monkey skeleton sewn onto a fish tail. One of his most popular live exhibits was the “Freak Show.” While some disapproved of exploiting people with physical abnormalities, he provided many with work when they would have otherwise struggled to find jobs. He paid his employees well, treating them like family, and many became financially successful.
At 33, Barnum had been running the American Museum for a few years and was always looking for the next big thing. He met Charles Stratton, a proportionate dwarf who was only 25 inches tall. Barnum agreed to manage Charles and spent months teaching him how to sing, dance, and act. He initially paid Charles’ parents $3 a week, equivalent to modern-day $70. Barnum marketed Charles as “Tom Thumb,” claiming he was 10 years old instead of 5, making his small stature even more remarkable. Charles became a successful performer, traveling the U.S. and Europe, even gaining the favor of Queen Victoria.
The museum became so popular that people would buy one ticket and stay all day. To manage the crowds, Barnum put up a sign that said, “This way to the Egress,” leading people to exit instead of another attraction.
**Iranistan and The Music Business**
After his success with the American Museum, Barnum built a massive palace in Connecticut called Iranistan, inspired by Middle Eastern architecture. He hosted events and brought in famous guests, including author Mark Twain. In 1850, Barnum sought musical talent from overseas and convinced Swedish opera singer Jenny Lind to perform in New York. He created a marketing campaign that dubbed her “The Swedish Nightingale.” Her first performance sold out, and she performed 93 times over five months, earning $350,000 while Barnum received $500,000.
Tragically, in 1857, a fire destroyed Iranistan, and his insurance only paid out $28,000. In 1865, the American Museum burned down, and after rebuilding, it burned down again. Barnum said the fires “burned to the ground all of his life’s accomplishments.”
**The Barnum and Bailey Circus**
At 60, P.T. Barnum faced a roller coaster of success and failure. Instead of retiring, he decided to start a traveling circus. He was the first circus owner to buy a train to transport performers and equipment. His first traveling show was called “P.T. Barnum’s Grand Traveling Museum, Menagerie, Caravan & Hippodrome,” featuring attractions from his American Museum on a grander scale. In 1881, he joined forces with James Bailey, creating the famous Barnum & Bailey Greatest Show On Earth, known for its three-ring circus format.
One of the biggest attractions was Jumbo the Elephant, captivating audiences. The Barnum and Bailey Circus continued to tour long after his death, ending in 2017 after 146 years.
**Later Life and Legacy**
As he grew older, fewer people criticized P.T. Barnum for his tricks, and more recognized his impact on the entertainment industry. He wrote four best-selling books, including The Art of Money-Getting and Humbugs of the World, where he candidly discussed psychics and magicians’ tricks. He took politics seriously and worked with the Republican party to help end slavery in the United States. He served as the mayor of Bridgeport, Connecticut, for one year.
Barnum paid a reporter to write a flattering eulogy so he could enjoy it while alive. He died in 1891 of a stroke at 79, working until the day he died. Two years after his death, a statue was built in Seaside Park in Bridgeport, Connecticut, on land he donated. Today, his legacy lives on in the minds and hearts of those who remember the circus, influencing entertainment worldwide.
Barnum – A famous American showman known for promoting celebrated hoaxes and founding the Barnum & Bailey Circus. – P.T. Barnum was a master at creating excitement and drawing crowds to his circus shows.
Circus – A traveling company of performers that may include acrobats, clowns, and trained animals, often performing in a large tent. – The circus came to town, and everyone was excited to see the amazing acrobats and funny clowns.
Business – An organization or enterprising entity engaged in commercial, industrial, or professional activities. – Starting a business requires careful planning and a good understanding of the market.
Entertainment – Activities that provide amusement or enjoyment, such as movies, music, or performances. – The new movie provided great entertainment for the whole family on a rainy afternoon.
Museum – A building or institution that collects, cares for, and displays objects of historical, cultural, or artistic significance. – The history museum had an impressive exhibit on ancient civilizations.
Legacy – Something handed down from an ancestor or from the past, often referring to achievements or values. – The inventor’s legacy lives on through the many devices we use today.
Wealth – An abundance of valuable possessions or money. – The entrepreneur’s innovative ideas led to great wealth and success.
Showman – A person skilled at entertaining, especially one who presents or promotes shows. – The showman captivated the audience with his lively performance and engaging stories.
History – The study of past events, particularly in human affairs. – Learning about history helps us understand how past events have shaped our world today.
Adventures – Exciting or unusual experiences, often involving exploration or risk. – The explorers’ adventures led them to discover new lands and cultures.
