The Unusual Story of the Real-Life Tom Thumb
How P. T. Barnum turned Charles Stratton into a worldwide celebrity
The 17th Century English fairytale about Tom Thumb featured a boy who was no bigger than his father’s thumb. That fanciful story was brought to life in the 19th Century when legendary showman P. T. Barnum discovered Charles Stratton and transformed him into “General Tom Thumb.”
Discovered in Connecticut
Charles Stratton was born in Bridgeport, Connecticut to average size parents on January 4, 1838. He seemed to develop normally until he was six months old.
Then, at twenty-five inches tall and weighing fifteen pounds, Stratton stopped growing. By the time he was four years old, Stratton had not grown an additional inch.
As luck would have it, a winter storm in 1842 stranded P. T. Barnum in Bridgeport Connecticut. He had just opened “Barnum’s American Museum” in New York City, long before Barnum became nationally known for his traveling circus. The museum contained an eclectic mix of curiosities that were popular at the time, including human “freaks” of nature, such as albinos and giants.
While in Bridgeport, Barnum learned about Stratton. He knew he had to see the small boy for himself. Barnum arranged to visit…
