Home > P. T. Barnum

He was born in Bethel, Connecticut, his father being an inn and store-keeper. Barnum first started as a store-keeper, and was also concerned in the lottery mania then prevailing in the United States. After failing in business, he started in 1829 a weekly paper, The Herald of Freedom , in Danbury; after several libel suits and a prosecution which resulted in imprisonment, he moved to New York City in 1834, and in 1835 began his career as a showman, with his purchase and exploitation of a coloured woman, Joice Heth , reputed to have been the nurse of George WashingtonGeorge Washington ( February 22, 1732— December 14, 1799), also called Father of his Country 1 was an American general and Commander-in-Chief of the Continental Army in the American Revolutionary War ( 1775 1783) and later the first President of the Unite, and to be over a hundred and sixty years old.

With this woman and a small company he made well-advertised and successful tours in America till 1839Events January 9 The French Academy of Sciences announces the Daguerreotype photography process. January 19 British East India Company captures Aden January 20 In the Battle of Yungay, Chile defeats a Peruvian and Bolivian alliance. February 24 William Ot, though Joice Heth died in 1836Events January Book by Maria Monk claims that she was sexually exploited in a Canadian convent February 3 United States Whig Party holds its first convention in Albany, New York. February 23 The siege of the Alamo begins in San Antonio, Texas. February 24, when her age was proved to be not more than seventy. After a period of failure, he purchased Scudder's American Museum, New York , in 18411841 is a common year starting on Friday (link will take you to calendar). Events January 26 The United Kingdom occupies Hong Kong. Later during the year, the first census of the island recorded a population of about 7,500. February 18 The first ongoing f; to this he added considerably, and it became one of the most popular shows in the United States. He made a special hit by the exhibition, in 1842Events February 21 John J. Greenough patents the sewing machine. March 5 Over 500 Mexican troops led by Rafael Vasquez invade Texas briefly occupy San Antonio and then head back to the Rio Grande. This is the first such invasion since the Texas Revolution, of Charles Stratton, the celebrated "General Tom Thumb". During 1844Events January 15 University of Notre Dame receives its charter from Indiana. February 27 The Dominican Republic gains independence from Haiti. February 28 A gun on the USS Princeton explodes while the boat is on a Potomac River cruise, killing two United- 45Events January 29 The Raven by Edgar Allan Poe is published for the first time New York Evening Mirror . March 1 President John Tyler signs a bill authorizing the United States to annex the Republic of Texas. March 3 Florida is admitted as the 27th U. Barnum toured with the dwarf in Europe and met with Queen Victoria. A remarkable instance of his enterprise was the engagement of Jenny Lind to sing in America at $1,000 a night for one hundred and fifty nights, all expenses being paid by the entrepreneur. The tour began in 1850.

Barnum retired from the show business in 1855, but had to settle with his creditors in 1857, and began his old career again as showman and museum proprietor. In Brooklyn, New York in 1871, he established " The Greatest Show on Earth," a travelling amalgamation of circus, menagerie and museum of "freaks." In 1881 he merged with James Bailey to create the Barnum & Bailey Circus , which toured around the world. The show's primary attraction was Jumbo, an African elephant he purchased from the London Zoo.

After his death, his circus was sold to Ringling Brothers in 1909 (or 1907?).

Barnum wrote several books, including The Humbugs of the World ( 1865), Struggles and Triumphs ( 1869), and his Autobiography (first in 1854, and later editions including 1869).