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File:P._T._Barnum_-_02176a_(cropped).jpg · Wikimedia Commons · See Wikimedia Commons

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P. T. Barnum

Also known as Phineas Taylor Barnum, PT Barnum, Phineas Barnum, P.T. Barnum, Barnum

American showman and politician (1810–1891)

OverviewAI-generated

Phineas Taylor Barnum, known as P. T. Barnum, was an American showman, businessperson, politician, and autobiographer. Born in Bethel in 1810, he died in Bridgeport in 1891 from a stroke. He held citizenship in the United States and was a member of both the Republican and Democratic parties. Barnum owned a waterfall and Joice Heth. His archives are located at the New York Public Library Main Branch.

Barnum wrote in English and is associated with works such as *Humbugs of the World*, *How to Get Rich*, and *Golden Rules for Getting Money*. His writings have been categorized under concepts including spectacle, art, political science, medicine, and law. He is described in sources such as the *Encyclopædia Britannica* 11th edition and *The Nuttall Encyclopædia*.

Synthesized by Vinony from 42 facts across 9 sources: Wikidata, Crossref, Open Library, Last.fm, OpenAlex, Wikiquote, MusicBrainz, Europeana Sparql, Vinony graph. Generated from structured data (not the Wikipedia text) and checked against those facts — may still contain errors.

Person · Open Library

Born: 1810
Died: 1891
Works: 108

Top works

These Hands Could Hold the World, but It'll Never Be Enough
Golden Rules for Getting Money
How to Get Rich
Mastering the Money Mindset
Humbugs of the World

via Open Library + Wikidata

Wikidata facts

Instance of: human
Given name: Taylor
Gender: male
Citizenship: United States
Place of birth: Bethel
Place of death: Bridgeport
Occupation: writer
Political party: Democratic Party (United States)
Languages spoken: English language
Image: P. T. Barnum - 02176a (cropped).jpg

Show 12 more facts

Commons category: Phineas Taylor Barnum
date of birth: 1810-01-01
date of death: 1891-01-01
cause of death: stroke
manner of death: natural causes
Commons gallery: Phineas Taylor Barnum
name in native language: P.T. Barnum
birth name: Phineas Taylor Barnum.
owner of: Joice Heth
writing language: English language
P8168: SAGEM
archives at: New York Public Library Main Branch

Sources (4)

via Wikidata · CC0

Works in European collections

21 objects attributed to P. T. Barnum, held across European museums, libraries & archives · via Europeana

Les blagues de l'univers : Par P. T. Barnum

Leben und Abenteuer P. T. Barnum's, vormaligen Theaterdirectors in New York, seine grossartigen Unternehmungen, seine Kunstfahrten mit Jenni Lind, mit Tom Thumb u. A. : Von ihm selbst beschrieben. Aus dem Englischen, 1

Barnum's Leben : Von ihm selbst geschildert. Deutsch von W. E. Drugulin, 2

Leben und Abenteuer P. T. Barnum's. vormaligen Theaterdirectors in New-York, seine großartigen Unternehmungen, seine Kunstfahrten mit Jenni Lind, mit Tom Thumb u. A.. von ihm selbst beschrieben. 2

Leben und Abenteuer P. T. Barnum's. vormaligen Theaterdirectors in New-York, seine großartigen Unternehmungen, seine Kunstfahrten mit Jenni Lind, mit Tom Thumb u. A.. von ihm selbst beschrieben. 3

Das Leben von P. T. Barnum. beschrieben von ihm selbst

Leben und Abenteuer P. T. Barnum's. vormaligen Theaterdirectors in New-York, seine großartigen Unternehmungen, seine Kunstfahrten mit Jenni Lind, mit Tom Thumb u. A.. von ihm selbst beschrieben. 2

Leben und Abenteuer P. T. Barnum's. vormaligen Theaterdirectors in New-York, seine großartigen Unternehmungen, seine Kunstfahrten mit Jenni Lind, mit Tom Thumb u. A.. von ihm selbst beschrieben. 1

Leben und Abenteuer P. T. Barnum's. vormaligen Theaterdirectors in New-York, seine großartigen Unternehmungen, seine Kunstfahrten mit Jenni Lind, mit Tom Thumb u. A.. von ihm selbst beschrieben. 3

Barnum, der Kaufmann, Journalist und Raritätenmann Oder: So macht man Geschäfte und so wird man reich : Eine Selbstbiographie

Leben und Abenteuer P. T. Barnum's vormaligen Theaterdirectors in New-York, seine grossartigen Unternehmungen, seine Kunstfahrten mit Jenni Lind, mit Tom Thumb u. A. : Von ihm selbst beschrieben. Aus dem Englischen, 3

Barnum, der Kaufmann, Journalist und Raritätenmann Oder: So macht man Geschäfte und so wird man reich : Eine Selbstbiographie

The life of P. T. Barnum

Barnum's Leben : Von ihm selbst geschildert. Deutsch von W. E. Drugulin, 4

Barnum's Leben : Von ihm selbst geschildert. Deutsch von W. E. Drugulin, 3

Barnum's Leben : Von ihm selbst geschildert. Deutsch von W. E. Drugulin, 1

~30 min read

Encyclopedic overview

Phineas Taylor Barnum (July 5, 1810 – April 7, 1891) was an American showman, businessman, and politician remembered for promoting celebrated hoaxes and founding with James Anthony Bailey the Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus. He was also an author, publisher, and philanthropist, although he said of himself: "I am a showman by profession ... and all the gilding shall make nothing else of me." The adage "there's a sucker born every minute" has frequently been attributed to him, although no evidence exists that he had coined the phrase.

Barnum became a small-business owner in his early twenties and founded a weekly newspaper before moving to New York City in 1834. He embarked on an entertainment career, first with a variety troupe called "Barnum's Grand Scientific and Musical Theater", and soon after by purchasing Scudder's American Museum, which he renamed after himself. He used the museum as a platform to promote hoaxes and human curiosities such as the Fiji mermaid and General Tom Thumb. In 1850, he promoted the American tour of Swedish opera singer Jenny Lind, paying her an unprecedented $1,000, equivalent to $38,700 in 2025, per night for 150 nights. He suffered economic reversals in the 1850s from unwise investments, as well as years of litigation and public humiliation, but he embarked on a lecture tour as a temperance speaker to emerge from debt. His museum added America's first aquarium and expanded its wax-figure department.

Excerpted from Wikipedia’s “P. T. Barnum” article, available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 licence.

P. T. Barnum