Before the Ringling Brothers created a national monopoly over circuses, one man held the circus king crown: P.T. Barnum. As a youth in the mid 19th century, Barnum began his road to fame and fortune as a hustler. Growing up in Bethel, Connecticut, the future showman sold snacks and homemade cherry rum anywhere people gathered. By hook or by crook Barnum learned how to wow a crowd and make a buck. Amazingly, the “Greatest Showman” on earth didn’t throw his hat in circus businesses until he was 60 years old! Nevertheless, he built a regional empire that the Ringling Brothers would eventually take national. This is the story of P.T Barnum and the rise of circuses in America.

Barnum and General Tom Thumb, who became the circus runner's all-time leading attraction. (ststwmedia)