P. T. Barnum

Flying acrobats, trained animals, strange oddities: all attributes of an astounding circus, yet where did these acts begin and what dark truths hide behind the breathtaking circus acts? Phineas Taylor Barnum spent his life remaking himself from a poor country boy into the city’s showman (Mansky). After moving to New York City, P.T. Barnum successfully opened the Barnum American Museum (“P.T. Barnum Biography”). He worked during a time where blue laws were prominent in the United States, regulating the ways people could provide entertainment to others. Despite the tight restrictions, he still found a way to amuse the public eye (Mangan). His knack of finding curiosities, authentic or fabricated, expanded his fortune (Wallace). However, hidden by his fame was a dark side more shocking than his shows (Manger).…

Phineas Taylor Barnum is one of the most famous showmen in America. He was born July 5, 1810 and died April 7, 1891. During his lifetime, P.T Barnum invented the circus and he was the reason we have the three-ring circles in the circus. The movie The Greatest Showman tries to portray P.T Barnum’s life. There is a lot of similarities and differences between the movie The Greatest Showman and real life on P.T Barnum life. Some similarities are what he did before the circus and who he worked with.…

father confronts him about it, he contemplates lying; however, his guilt gets the best of him, and he decides to come clean and confess that he did, in fact, cut down the tree. Washington’s father appreciated his son’s honesty and was no longer angry. While this is an inspiring story and a great lesson for young children, Lengel brings to light the realization that this is a fabricated story created by money-hungry author, Parson Weems. Lengel writes about him, “Weems was the father of popular…

Phineas Taylor Barnum, or better known as "P. T." Barnum, described as a “jack of all trades” is an understatement. As a self-made businessman (or scammer), showman (or humbug), newspaper editor (or libeler), he lived a life of exhausted passion and success. He tells his own story in his autobiography, The Life of P.T. Barnum of living in 19th century America. P.T. Barnum’s optimistic and exuberant charisma certainly helped him make a profit, yet that alone did not gain him the title of a…

“I am a showman by profession...and all the gilding shall make nothing else of me." Phineas Taylor Barnum is arguably one of the most ingenious businessman of American history. P.T. Barnum is best known for his creation with James Bailey of the Greatest Show on Earth, a traveling circus featuring elephants, acrobats, and people with birth defects (whom he called “freaks”). Barnum was a firm believer in the concept of any kind of publicity is good publicity. In fact, if rumors were spread about…

In the United States, there is a clown phenomenon happening, according to North Idaho Law Enforcement by Heather Tooley the first creepy clown sighting started in August in South Carolina with the intent of harming others but then the phenomenon spread across the country and ended up in Idaho. The police departments around Idaho are investigating the clown sightings. A Facebook post from the Nampa Police Department stated that they are aware of the clowns and the citizens should let the police…

ideas for combatting terrorism, he said, "I myself could not have drawn up better what Europe needs." (Simon, 2016) Even Czech President Miloš Zeman declared he was “very happy” with Trump’s election victory, saying he cut through political correctness and addressed key issues like migration. Guardian Staff. (2016, November 09). So it is something to wait and see what happens between the relations of the U.S. and other countries, after all Trump is a businessman just like a showman or…

Phineas Taylor Barnum was Born on July 5, 1810, in Bethel, Connecticut and was a natural salesman, peddling lottery tickets and Cherry rum to Soldiers as a young boy around the age of 12. As a young man Barnum moved to New York City and got into a variety of businesses including newspaper publishing and running a boarding house and much more.. Barnum hated working with his hands so instead he made his fortune using his mind and using the gullibility of the public in his favor by almost tricking…

A Compare and Contrast of the Life of P.T .Barnum and the Movie, The Greatest Showman by Shelby Butler The movie, The Greatest Showman, came out in December of 2017. The movie was about Phineas Taylor Barnum, who most people know as P.T. Barnum. P.T. Barnum was famous for starting the Barnum & Bailey Circus. After watching The Greatest Showman, it was clear that many parts of the movie were about true events in P.T. Barnum’s life, but some were false. Differences in his family life, his…

After reading about P. T. Barnum and his show business, I was intrigued by how the public responded to exotic acts and how Barnum’s understanding of this desire made him a fortune. Since my young age, whenever there is a circus performance on the television, I am always most eager for the magician’s part. There is something out summoning a rose from thin air that captivates me much better than a clown’s juggling. Hence, in this paper I will explore the history of magic to seek to understand how…