P.T. Barnum

Born Phineas Taylor Barnum in Bethel, Connecticut, the future impresario was a direct descendant of Thomas Barnum, an Englishman who settled in Connecticut in the 1660s. There’s no indication of any Jewish lineage or religious practice in his family history; his upbringing was firmly rooted in Protestant New England.

Barnum was a consummate showman, known for his hoaxes and his ability to draw crowds. From exhibiting Joyce Heth, an enslaved woman he claimed was George Washington's 161-year-old nurse, to the famous "Feejee Mermaid," he perfected the art of the sensational. His American Museum in New York City became a staple of popular entertainment, long before the circuses for which he is most famous.

While his methods were often ethically dubious (to put it mildly), Barnum’s impact on American entertainment and marketing is undeniable. He transformed the business of spectacle, demonstrating an uncanny knack for understanding what the public wanted, even if they didn’t know it yet. He gave us "the greatest show on Earth" and perhaps, the greatest conman of all time.