P.T. Barnum

Before Madison Avenue there was P.T. Barnum. The man who could spin tales, sell dreams and turn society's most shunned outcasts into company fit for a Queen. Born into a poor farming family, he had to support himself at the age of 14. Armed with little more than wit and imagination, he created and accomplished more than could be contained in a mere three rings.

P.T. Barnum brought us the amazing traveling circus. He made international celebrities of people such as Tom Thumb. He helped revolutionize entertainment and wrote the book on self-promotion. And, for better or worse, he invented modern advertising. With relentless ambition, he explored beyond the big top. He was a land developer, banker, even mayor of his city. Barnum's courage, along with his good-natured hucksterism, secured him a place as an American folk hero.