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P.T. Barnum
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P.T. Barnum
Uncover the history of P. T. Barnum's American Museum on Broadway in New York City
General Tom Thumb Portrait of American showman P.T. Barnum wearing a suit and bow tie, looking slightly to the side. Jumbo's skeleton Barnum Museum in Bridgeport P.T. Barnum's tent
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P.T. Barnum
P.T. Barnum A legendary showman, Barnum was known for transforming the circus into a popular and gigantic spectacle and for promoting various hoaxes.

P.T. Barnum

American showman
Also known as: Phineas Taylor Barnum
Written by
Irving Wallace
Novelist and biographer. Author of The Fabulous Showman: The Life and Times of P.T. Barnum; The Man.
Irving Wallace
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Britannica Editors
Encyclopaedia Britannica's editors oversee subject areas in which they have extensive knowledge, whether from years of experience gained by working on that content or via study for an advanced degree....
Britannica Editors
History

P.T. Barnum (born July 5, 1810, Bethel, Connecticut, U.S.—died April 7, 1891, Bridgeport, Connecticut) was an American showman who employed sensational forms of presentation and publicity to popularize such amusements as the public museum, the musical concert, and the three-ring circus. In partnership with James A. Bailey, he made the American circus a popular and gigantic spectacle, the so-called Greatest Show on Earth. Barnum was 15 years old when his father died, and the support...

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