July 5

July 5 is the birthdate of Phineas Taylor Barnum, who founded what became the Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus. He called himself a “showman,” but he was also a scam artist, businessman, promoter of hoaxes -- and a politician in Connecticut (uh, why am I not surprised). Barnum is erroneously credited with coining the phrase "There's a sucker born every minute." The origin of the phrase in unclear.