Charles Stratton was born on Jan. 4, 1838 and went on to become one of the most famous persons in the world and he still is the most famous little person in history.
In 1842, P.T. Barnum hired four year-old Charles Stratton who was a little person standing 25 inches tall. Barnum renamed him “General Tom Thumb”. He toured with the circus doing a variety of things. He sang and danced. He impersonated Napoleon and Cupid. He became an international celebrity after a tour of Europe in 1844. Tom Thumb performed for Queen Victoria. In 1863, Barnum put on the ultimate publicity stunt when he arranged the marriage between Tom and a little woman named Lavinia Warren who was 2’8”. At the time, Tom had reached his adult height of 2’11”. Barnum sold tickets to the event for $75 each and 2,000 people attended. On their honeymoon, the couple had dinner with the Lincoln’s at the White House. Tom died of a stroke in 1883 at age 45. Lavinia remarried and lived until 1919.
P.T. Barnum with Tom Thumb and Tom Thumb as Napoleon
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