July 5P.T. Barnum
(1810 - 1891)
Born in Bethel, Connecticut, showman Phineas Taylor Barnum first ran a New York museum of “curiosities” in 1842. In 1871, he introduced The Greatest Show on Earth, a traveling three-ring circus, joining rival James Bailey in 1881. Barnum served in the Connecticut legislature (1865–9) and as mayor of Bridgeport (1875–6). Find out more Also born on this day