Ep. 146: Step Right Up- The Story of P. T. Barnum

What do mermaids, museums, and nineteenth-century showmanship have in common?More than you might think.This week on Spirits with Crime, we step back into the strange and fascinating world of nineteenth-century exhibitions, where crowds gathered to witness curiosities that blurred the line between fact and fiction. At the center of it all was one man who understood something powerful about human nature: people love a good spectacle.But when does entertainment cross the line into deception?In this episode, we explore the life and legacy of P. T. Barnum, the showman behind some of the most famous attractions of the era, like the history behind the famous Feejee Mermaid hoax and the strange world of the Barnum American Museum.So grab your favorite drink, settle in, and join me as we explore one of the most curious chapters in the history of spectacle. Cheers!Send Me a Story! @ [email protected] & Instagram: spiritswithcrimepodcastSources: https://www.britannica.com/biography/P-T-Barnumhttps://connecticuthistory.org/phineas-taylor-barnum/https://www.biography.com/business-leaders/p-t-barnumhttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/the-man-who-invented-show-business-180958098/https://connecticuthistory.org/joice-heth/https://nmaahc.si.edu/explore/stories/joice-hethhttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/feejee-mermaid-and-other-hoaxes-p-t-barnum-180962624/https://connecticuthistory.org/p-t-barnums-american-museum/https://www.amnh.org/exhibitions/mythic-creatures/mermaids/feejee-mermaidhttps://connecticuthistory.org/general-tom-thumb/https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/449https://www.britannica.com/topic/The-Greatest-Showman