PT Barnum may be better known as the loose subject of the movie The Greatest Showman, but his life was so much more than that work of fiction. A master of entertainment, an entrepreneur, and a genius of publicity, he built a career on feeding public curiosity with his grand illusions.
But his legacy is complicated, as many of his attractions reflect a worl ... Show More
Oct 4
The English Civil Wars, Part 2 of 2
The First English Civil War ended with King Charles I defeated, his armies broken, and his cause apparently lost. But military victory for the Parliamentarians brought no real peace. Instead, the months that followed saw an even more volatile struggle, as Parliament turned on its ... Show More
53m 6s
Nov 2022
SYMHC Classics: P.T. Barnum
This 2012 episode from prior hosts Sarah and Deblina covers P.T. Barnum the circus man, museum entrepreneur, and freak show runner. Barnum attracted people to his American Museum through shrewd advertising, and he wasn't afraid of a hoax.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy in ... Show More
19m 16s
Jul 2022
Selects: How Freak Shows Worked
Not too long ago, people would pay money to gawk and stare at a performer with a physical disformity. They were called freak shows and they began in large part thanks to P.T. Barnum, whose circus we still enjoy today. Sounds awful, but some of these performers became rich folks a ... Show More
48m 40s
Mar 2024
Tiger Tamer | 3. would you let a tiger lick your face?
Tickling tigers one day, and cracking jokes to expectant crowds the next, Bob Carlisle was a circus showman, agent, clown and big cat tamer. In the third episode of our new series on this larger-than-life character of the Victorian age, David Musgrove speaks to historian John Woo ... Show More
36m 24s