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American Carnival: Barnum Project

Education

P.T. Barnum, reimagined by an honors first-year seminar at Worcester State University

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Episodes

  1. Episode 3.5 The Original Influencer

    How P.T. Barnum’s 19th-century showmanship became the blueprint for 21st-century fame!

  2. Episode 3.4 Cracking the Whip on Cruelty

    Ringling Bros. and Barnum and Bailey had quite an impact on the animal rights movement and modern circuses.

  3. Episode 3.3 Barnum's Advertising Methods

    Learn more about P.T. Barnum’s advertising techniques from the pioneer of modern advertising himself!

  4. Episode 3.2 The Angel and the Devil

    How the unexpected duo of Jenny Lind and PT Barnum helped thousands of people but also brought ridicule to others.

  5. Episode 3.1 Barnum as Husband and Father

    Away from the spotlight, what was Barnum's domestic life like? What kind of husband and father was he?

  6. Season 2.1 The Early Years

    Learn more about P.T. Barnum’s life growing up, and what influenced him to become the successful man he is today.

  7. Season 2.2 Country Store

    Young Barnum finally gets his own store and learns how to cheat his customers.

  8. Season 2.3 Barnum's Love Life

    Learn more about P.T. Barnum’s life with Charity and his secret marriage after her passing.

  9. Season 2.4 Heth, in Life and Death

    First, he bought her and destroyed her life. Then he sold tickets to her autopsy. What a monster!

  10. Season 2.5 Jenny Lind's Success

    PT Barnum is bringing Jenny Lind to America. Is she a dancer? No, she is America’s Swedish Nightingale.

  11. Season 2.6 Temperance Advocate

    Barnum’s temperance lecture will make you think twice about drinking alcohol.

  12. Season 2.7 Grand National Baby Show

    Beauty pageants, dog shows, and hot dog eating contests. Discover how all these national competitions began by taking a closer look at the 19th century Toddlers & Tiaras.

  13. Season 2.8 The Iranistan

    Step into the magnificent and elaborate home of the greatest showman, P.T.Barnum!

  14. Season 2.9 Clock Company

    Barnum’s life altering experience will make you adjust how you conduct business in the future.

  15. Season 2.10 "What is it?"

    Find out what --or who --P. T. Barnum really put on display. You’ll ask, “What is it?” And you won’t like the answer....

  16. Season 2.11 Annie Jones, All-American Bearded Lady

    You may have heard of Josephine Clofullia, but the swiss lady has nothing on the American born bearded lady! Come closer to hear the grand tale of the Esau child and her life of twists and turns in Barnum’s fantastical world.

  17. Season 2.12 The Warren Sisters

    The magnificent wedding between Tom Thumb and Lavinia Warren took place on February 9th, 1863. Though the event was highly publicized what can you tell me about the life of Lavinia Warren? Listen in to discover more about who this little woman is...

  18. Season 2.13 Downfall of the American Museum

    Listen to the tragic story of the downfall of one of the most extraordinary places in New York, the place which boosted Barnum’s reputation.

  19. Season 2.14 P. T. Barnum vs. Adam Forepaugh

    Take a trip through history and learn of a rivalry that not only happened over a hundred years ago but is still happening today.

  20. Season 2.15 Joining the Traveling Circus

    Who was Barnum before the circus? All the things you don’t know about Barnum before he became a showman.

  21. Season 2.16 Railway Behemoth

    Witness the rise of P.T. Barnum’s monstrous railway empire!

  22. Season 2.17 The Spectacular Jumbo

    Discover Jumbo the elephant, from his humble origins to his tragic, untimely death, and uncover the remarkable legacy that he left behind.

  23. Season 2.18 Barnum and Bailey

    Barnum and Bailey, the perfect pair. How did these two become the greatest showmen in history?

  24. Season 2.19 How it Ended

    Tune in to hear more about the end of Barnum’s life, legacy and his death!

  25. Season 1.1 Ivy Island

    Follow young Barnum as he discovers Ivy Island.

  26. Season 1.2 The Lottery

    Listen to an anecdote from Barnum's young life highlighting both his showmanship and his humbug! Phineas Barnum, a young store clerk, makes a rash decision with a peddler, and as a result has to work his way out of a tight bind.

  27. Season 1.3 Chang and Eng

    Listen to the unbelievable and tragic life of the original Siamese twins, Chang and Eng, and their adventures touring with the infamous P. T. Barnum.

  28. Season 1.4 Jailed for Libel

    Liar, Liar, Robes on Fire. Barnum doesn't stand for anyone's lies, even a minister's.

  29. Season 1.5 Joyce Heth

    This episode is about the Joyce Heth hoax, which made P. T. Barnum famous in the entertainment industry.

  30. Season 1.6 Signor Vivalla

    New York juggler Signor Antonio, Professor of Equilibrium and Place Dancing, is recruited by the infamous P. T. Barnum. Changing the man's name to Vivalla to sound more ethnic, Barnum hypes the once-nobody to stardom.

  31. Season 1.7 Barnum's New American Museum

    Barnum's American Museum, once located on the corner of Anne and Broadway in New York City, was a major point of American pop culture in the mid-1800s; step in to see the build up and opening of one of Barnum's greatest triumphs!

  32. Season 1.8 The Fiji Mermaid

    Genuine Mermaid for Lease -- Profit Guaranteed.

  33. Season 1.9 General Tom Thumb

    Barnum exhibits General Tom Thumb, fresh out of England. 11 years old and only 25 inches high!

  34. Season 1.10 The Buffalo Hoax

    Come get excited to experience the Great Buffalo Show... or Great Buffalo Hoax!

  35. Season 1.11 Bearded Lady

    P.T. Barnum and his side show collection. The American Museum in New York welcomes the Bearded Lady of Geneva!

  36. Season 1.12 Prince of Humbug

    How Barnum got the nickname "Prince of Humbug."

  37. Season 1.13 Woolly Horse

    This episode is about one of the many natural curiosities Barnum had in his museums. His famous Woolly Horse was a popular exhibit, but was the horse actually one of a kind?

  38. Season 1.14 The Swedish Nightingale

    Jenny Lind, "the Swedish Nightingale," engaged in a $150,000 contract with P. T. Barnum to sing on tour in America. This episode describes the excitement over Jenny Lind's 1850 arrival in New York City.

  39. Season 1.15 Brick Man

    Become one of the hundreds of onlookers who watched Barnum's "Brick Man" perform a fairly peculiar task!

  40. Season 1.16 Fire!

    Listen to this informational, jaw-dropping episode on P. T. Barnum's horrific 1865 museum fire.

  41. Season 1.17 Anna Swan: A Tall Tale

    Be inspired by this tall tale of love and tragedy involving one of the tallest women to grace the face of the earth -- the one, the only Anna Swan.

  42. Season 1.18 Travelling Circus

    This episode discusses Barnum's first day running his own circus. It goes through the troubles -- and triumphs -- of the beginning of Barnum's circus life.

  43. Season 1.19 The Mayor of Bridgeport

    Take a trip to the small town of Bridgeport, Connecticut in 1875. A new mayor has just been elected, a mayor named Barnum.

  44. Season 1.20 Jumbo the Elephant

    Jumbo was the most famous elephant and admired by millions around the world. However, one tragic night changed everything.

About this show

P.T. Barnum, reimagined by an honors first-year seminar at Worcester State University

Categories

Education

Frequently asked questions

How many episodes does American Carnival: Barnum Project have?

American Carnival: Barnum Project has 44 episodes on PodParley. The most recent episode was published on January 31, 2025.

What is American Carnival: Barnum Project about?

P.T. Barnum, reimagined by an honors first-year seminar at Worcester State University

How often does American Carnival: Barnum Project release new episodes?

American Carnival: Barnum Project publishes about every 86 days, based on its 44 episodes since December 2014.
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