The loss was too great the second time, and Barnum retired from the museum business. Barnum is far less straightforward and far more disturbing. [36], On November 8, 1829, Barnum married Charity Hallett,[37] and they had four children: Caroline Cornelia (1830–1911), Helen Maria (1840–1920), Frances Irena (1842–1844), and Pauline Taylor (1846–1877). Yes. So God save Jenny Lind! $ 2.35. Barnum when he was only 4-years-old, not 22 like in the movie. Many see his profiting from putting people with abnormalities and disabilities on public display as being exploitation. Barnum's museum really burn down? He built New York City's largest and most modern theater, naming it the "Moral Lecture Room." He was also instrumental in starting Bridgeport Hospital in 1878 and was its first president. [citation needed][vague] He said during the ratification of the Thirteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution: "A human soul, 'that God has created and Christ died for,' is not to be trifled with. By 1860, he emerged from debt and built a mansion which he called "Lindencroft", and he resumed ownership of his museum. Barnum concocted the story that Heth was 161 years old and was a former nurse to George Washington. For example, Barnum is believed to have gotten his start as a showman in 1835 when he purchased and exhibited an elderly African American slave woman named Joice Heth, who was blind and almost entirely paralyzed. He mainly focused on race, slavery, and sectionalism in the period leading up to the American Civil War. However, his addition of pro-Unionist lectures, exhibits and dramas had incited a Confederate arsonist to start a fire there the year prior. In 1852, she married Otto Goldschmidt, a German conductor, composer, and pianist. His editorials against the elders of local churches led to libel suits and a prosecution which resulted in imprisonment for two months, but he became a champion of the liberal movement upon his release. Barnum was America's most famous promoter -- and in recent years, his life has been getting a fresh look. Barnum persisted in growing the circus in spite of more fires, train disasters, and other setbacks, and he was aided by circus professionals who ran the daily operations. He asked the Evening Sun to print his obituary just prior to his death so that he might read it. If the 1865 fire was arson, it's likely it was spurned on by Barnum's … New First Nations cabaret Natives Go Wild will reveal the shocking true history of Indigenous people and the circus – through song, dance and humour ‘In truth, PT Barnum … It had been plagued with controversy in the years prior due to criticisms of animal abuse and exploitation, which had forced the circus to retire its elephant acts in 2016. It went through various names: "P. T. Barnum's Travelling World's Fair, Great Roman Hippodrome and Greatest Show on Earth", and "P. T. Barnum's Greatest Show on Earth, And The Great London Circus, Sanger's Royal British Menagerie and The Grand International Allied Shows United" after an 1881 merger with James Bailey and James L. Hutchinson, soon shortened to "Barnum & Bailey's". Hugh Jackman stars as circus founder P.T. This entertainment phenomenon was the first circus to display three rings. In 1836, his variety troupe, Barnum's Grand Scientific and Musical Theater, had a year of mixed success. His "Seven Grand Salons" demonstrated the Seven Wonders of the World. In the movie, P.T. Barnum (Hugh Jackman) initially becomes infatuated with Swedish opera singer Jenny Lind (Rebecca Ferguson), who quits the tour in a huff after he rejects her advances. [5] He was elected in 1875 as mayor of Bridgeport, Connecticut where he worked to improve the water supply, bring gas lighting to streets, and enforce liquor and prostitution laws. [39], Barnum died from a stroke at home in 1891. The … It opened the door to visits from royalty throughout Europe, including the Tsar of Russia, and enabled Barnum to acquire dozens of new attractions, including automatons and other mechanical marvels. He opposed the Kansas–Nebraska Act of 1854, which supported slavery, so he left the Democratic Party which endorsed slavery and became part of the new anti-slavery Republican Party. [40] The Marina Mansion was demolished by the University of Bridgeport in 1964 in order to build their cafeteria. 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. But in real life, P.T. [31], Barnum was elected for the next four sessions and succeeded Senator Orris S. Ferry. On April 7, 1891, Barnum asked about the box office receipts for the day; a few hours later, he was dead.[30]. He used the museum as a platform to promote hoaxes and human curiosities such as the Fiji mermaid and General Tom Thumb. Things aren't nearly as black and white when it comes to the real P.T. P. T. Barnum's career of showmanship and charlatanry was marked by a surprising undercurrent of honesty and forthrightness. He helped to launch the careers of many famous circus acts such as Chang and Eng, General Tom … During the Civil War, his museum drew large audiences seeking diversion from the conflict. The Greatest Showman is arguably one of the biggest blockbusters of the year, and part of the fascination is that it’s based on the true story of one of the first showmen – P.T. Forest and jungle, or, Thrilling adventures in all quarters of the globe : An illustrated history of the animal kingdom, written in easy and instructive form for boys and girls. He made substantial loans to the Jerome Clock Company to get it to move to his new industrial area, but the company went bankrupt by 1856, taking Barnum's wealth with it. Barnum never had a romance with Swedish opera singer Jenny Lind. Ex-Disney star Zendaya portrays trapeze artist Anne Wheeler, who falls in love with Barnum's protégé Phillip Carlyle, portrayed by. [citation needed], He organized flower shows, beauty contests, dog shows, and poultry contests, but the most popular were baby contests such as the fattest baby or the handsomest twins. No. Barnum was a champion of acceptance and tolerance, celebrating those who 1800s society considered outcasts and "freaks". He was … [46] The statue was dedicated on September 26, 2010.[47]. The $350,000 would equal roughly $10 million today.While fact-checking The Greatest Showman, we discovered that the real reason Jenny Lind (also known as the "Swedish Nightingale") quit the tour was because she was uncomfortable with Barnum's relentless marketing of her. The Incredible True Story of P.T. As seen to some degree in the film, Stratton's performances helped to change the public's perception of freak shows, which had been thought of as unpleasant and disreputable. In his autobiographies, Barnum conveys deep love for Charity, writing that on the day he married her, he "became the husband of one of the best women in the world." [48][49] The Barnum Museum in Bridgeport houses many of Barnum's oddities and curiosities. [44] Cartoonist Walt Kelly grew up in Bridgeport and named a character in Barnum's honor in his Pogo comic strip. He was suffering from … He hoped that this would avoid seedy connotations, attract a family crowd, and win the approval of the moral crusaders of New York City. [38] His wife died on November 19, 1873,[38] and he married Nancy Fish, the daughter of his close friend John Fish, the following year; Nancy was 40 years younger than he was. The Greatest Showman True Story The True Story of PT Barnum, aka the Greatest Showman. In researching The Greatest Showman true story, we discovered that Barnum's eager young protégé in the film, Phillip Carlyle (Zac Efron), is a fictional character. Well, the true story is that Lind agreed to accompany Barnum on the American tour only because he offered her a princely sum. However, she didn't keep a dime of it and had never planned to. The movie twists the chronology, invents entire characters, and somewhat inevitably leaves out unflattering facts about Barnum. If the 1865 fire was arson, it's likely it was spurned on by Barnum's Unionist sympathies, not due to outrage over the sideshows at his museum. In 1842, Barnum introduced his first major hoax: a creature with the body of a monkey and the tail of a fish known as the "Feejee" mermaid. Barnum's American Museum burned to the ground on July 13, 1865 from a fire of unknown origin. Over the years, Barnum tried to change that perception, but when his American Museum burned down in 1865, there were those who mourned its passing and still those who celebrated that it was gone. [6] The Ringling Brothers and Barnum & Bailey circuses ran separately until they merged in 1919, forming the Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus. Barnum promised her a great deal of money. The press was also in attendance, and "Jenny Lind items" were available to buy. Here’s a look at Barnum and how the film The Greatest Showman grossly misportrays him. Barnum also started a lecture tour, mostly as a temperance speaker. He claimed that Heth was 161 years old and had been George Washington's nurse. It turns out: P.T. By early 1851, Lind had become uncomfortable with Barnum's relentless marketing of the tour, and she invoked a contractual right to sever her ties with him. The Barnum and Bailey Circus still contained acts similar to his Traveling Menagerie, including acrobats, freak shows, and General Tom Thumb. [30] He is buried in Mountain Grove Cemetery, Bridgeport, Connecticut, a cemetery that he designed. Starring Hugh Jackman, Zac Efron, Michelle Williams, Copyright © 2021 HistoryvsHollywood.com, CTF Media, No. For other uses with the name Barnum, see, Schweitzer, Marlis. The circus shut down just seven months prior to the movie's release. Dwindling attendance and high operating costs forced the Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus to close on May 21, 2017 after 146 years of uninterrupted operation. His maternal grandfather Phineas Taylor was a Whig, legislator, landowner, justice of the peace, and lottery schemer who had a great influence on him. She donated the $350,000 in profits to charity, specifically the endowment of free schools in Sweden. "I don't believe in duping the public", he said, "but I believe in first attracting and then pleasing them."[12]. Barnum was significantly involved in politics. Barnum, Business Huckster. He was buried in Mountain Grove Cemetery, Bridgeport, which he designed himself.[7]. He improved the attraction, upgrading the building and adding exhibits, then renamed it "Barnum's American Museum"; it became a popular showplace. P. T. Barnum was born on July 5, 1810, in Bethel, Connecticut, a small town about four miles southeast of Danbury. In the early 1850s, Barnum began investing to develop East Bridgeport, Connecticut. To follow our latest episodes, subscribe to the History vs. Hollywood YouTube channel. Oddity: Totally Limbless. The Bearded Lady, Lettie Lutz, portrayed by Keala Settle. The movie does a disservice to Lind by painting her as the jilted lover. Phillip was created in part for the film's fictional interracial love story between himself and trapeze artist Anne Wheeler (Zendaya). No. [6], Barnum enjoyed what he publicly dubbed "profitable philanthropy". The Greatest Showman true story confirms that Barnum's American Museum burned to the ground in a fire on July 13, 1865. Barnum was a horrible human being. The origin of the fire was never discovered. Watch The Greatest Showman History vs. Hollywood episode below, and check out the movie trailer to get a preview of the film, the characters, and the music. Heth died the following year. Barnum and Jenny Lind According to the Hugh Jackman musical, the circus proprietor almost fell for … Barnum’s “Greatest Show on Earth,” was one of the most successful bearded ladies of all time. 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