Who Was P. T. Barnum?

P. T.  Barnum was an American showman, businessman and politician remembered for promoting celebrated hoaxes (also called "humbugs") and founding the Barnum & Bailey Circus. He was also an author, publisher, politician, and philanthropist. While controversial by today's standards, much of what he did was ground-breaking in terms of promotion and public relations. He promoted human curiosities such as the Fiji mermaid and General Tom Thumb. However, it was the circus business, begun when he was 60 years old, was the source of much of his enduring fame. He established "P.T. Barnum's Grand Traveling Museum, Menagerie, Caravan & Hippodrome" in 1870, a traveling circus, menagerie and museum of "freaks" that adopted many names over the years.In this episode, Alex and Kelly explore whether his exploitation of people with disabilities was abhorrent or simply "show business" during that time. We also look at the way in which P. T. Barnum, despite being alive in the nineteenth century, shaped entertainment in the twenty-first century.If you like the content we are creating and would like to support it financially, check our Patreon page here: https://www.patreon.com/DirtNapCityPodcastOr, if you prefer to support us in another way, recommend an episode to one of your friends. We appreciate everyone who listens every month and look forward to making this podcast even better with your support. Drop us a quick text and we’ll reply in the next episode!Support the showDirt Nap City is the podcast about the most interesting dead people in history.Subscribe and listen to learn about people you've heard of, but don't know much about.Someday we'll all live in Dirt Nap City, so you should probably go ahead and meet the neighbors!