# Barnum Phineas Taylor Barnum (1810-1891), an American showman famed for his flamboyant publicity. Barnum is mainly known for his circus, "The Greatest Show on Earth." His side shows were particularly notable, even though many of the "freaks" he advertised turned out to be hoaxes. (A mermaid, for example, was put together from a monkey and a fish.) According to a famous story about Barnum, someone pointed out that many customers had reason to be angry at him, because they paid their admission and then found out that the freaks in his show were fakes. Barnum supposedly replied that he was not worried about losing business because, in his words, "A sucker is born every minute.