7 Things I Have Learned About P.T. Barnum So Far

Because I watched The Greatest Showman more times that I want to admit on this blog, my curiosity about P.T. Barnum grew in 2018. I have been slowly reading a biography about his life titled P.T. Barnum: The Legend and the Man. I believe I will be adding to the below list, but here a few surprising facts or anecdotes about Barnum’s life that I gained so far:

1. P.T. Barnum toyed with the idea of becoming a universalist – by religion. He also denied the doctrine of total depravity.

2. Barnum opposed the death penalty. This was due to an execution he witnessed as a young man where the criminal was hanged.

3. During his lifetime, ministers were among his “most cherished and intimate personal friends.”

4. The 1^st public aquarium in 1857 was an exhibit called “Ocean and River Gardens” and it was Barnum’s creation.

5. The First American Museum sold more tickets in proportion to the population than Disneyland did in its first 23 ½ years of being open.

6. Barnum preferred to be known as a “museum man” instead of a “circus man.” When he 1^st took his traveling show on the road in 1871, it was called “P.T. Barnum’s Museum, Menagerie, and Circus.”

7. In the 1860 Presidential election, Barnum decided to become Republican due to the slavery problem and he voted for Abraham Lincoln, because he believed that Lincoln would address the issue in a moral way. In fact, he entered politics during this time for the opportunity to help abolish slavery.