P. T. Barnum Phineas Taylor Barnum reinvented the circus. His knowledge of what people want and how to make people think they want what he had was amazing. He constantly fooled people and had a way of making the customers come back. Barnum was ultimate salesman. He single handedly turned the circus into the "Greatest Show On Earth" it is today. P. T. Barnum was born in Bethel, Connecticut on July 5th 1810. He later called himself a "Yankee doodle dandy, plus one." He was the oldest of five, all raised in a typical Connecticut saltbox house, which is an average, large house, is that still stands today. His father, Philo Barnum, dabbled in several