Phineas T. Barnum – 1810–1891

Just 15 when his father died, Barnum had to support his mother and five siblings. He started publishing a newspaper in Danbury, Connecticut, and was arrested for libel three times. To him, this proved the potential profitability of sensationalism and in 1834, having moved to New York, he earned notoriety—and cash—presenting one Joice Heth, an elderly black woman, as the 161-year-old nurse to George Washington. This exhibition evolved into such attractions as the Barnum Museum, spectacular concerts, and, of course, a three-ring circus in partnership with James A. Bailey. The Barnum and Bailey Circus was billed, characteristically, as the “Greatest Show on Earth.”