January 4 – Tom Thumb Day

nPostednon January 4, 2015

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Nowadaysnwe can learn about the challenges and rewards that little people dealnwith by watching TV shows such as Little People, Big World.nBut back in the 1800s, most people had never seen someone diagnosednwith dwarfism, and circus and sideshow promoters hired dwarfs andntoured about showed them off as “human curiosities” and evenn“freaks.”

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nOfncourse, the important thing about “human curiosities” is thatnthey are HUMAN! Hopefully most of the dwarfs employed by circuses andnside shows enjoyed being entertainers and did not feel like freaksnbeing stared at and talked about by crowds of people—but I fearnthat the experience was negative for many.

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nInam not sure, but I think that the relationship between circus promoter P.T.nBarnum and little person Charles Stratton was a true partnership with mutual respect. (I hope it was not troubled by condescension and exploitation!) However, one thing I am sure of is that it was a very successfulnpartnership! With Barnum’s promotional skills and Stratton’s talentsnand comedic style, Stratton became world famous as General Tom Thumb.nn

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Barnumnwas a distant relative of Charles Stratton. He heard about little Charles’s lacknof growth, but when Barnum met the boy he realized that he was precocious and charming. Barnum taught the young boy hownto sing, dance, mime, and do impersonations. Then he took the boy outnon tour when Charles was just five years old!

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nThen,nwhen Charles was just six years old, Barnum took him on a tour ofnEurope!
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nBothntours were huge successes, and the “Tom Thumb” was mobbedneverywhere he went. He appeared twice before Queen Victoria and metnthe future King Edward VII when the latter was just three years old.

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WhennTom Thumb became an adult, he continued to be famous. When he marriednanother dwarf, Livinia Warren, the wedding was huge (10,000 guests!)nand made front-page news. The couple was received by PresidentnLincoln at the White House. n

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nGrowingnin stature and riches

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nStrattonnwas born on this date in 1838. He was actually a large baby, weighingnmore than 9 pounds (more than 4 kg) at birth! He grew normally untilnhe was six months old, and then he stopped for years. Finally, whennhe was 9 years old, he started to grow again—but very slowly. Whennhe was 18, Stratton was 2 feet 8 inches tall (more than 82 cm).

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nWithnP.T. Barnum managing his entertainment career, Stratton became verynwealthy. He owned a nice house, a steam yacht, and a wardrobe of finenclothing. At one point, Barnum got into financial difficulty, andnStratton was able to bail him out.

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nStrattonncontinued to grow slowly. When he died at age 45, he was more than 3nfeet (102 cm) tall. n

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nBarnumnpurchased a life-sized statue of the entertainer to mark his grave.nIn 1959, the statue was smashed by vandals, but the general publicnpitched in to restore the statue.

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nAlsonon this date: