There are many examples in history of how people with physical disabilities reached unprecedented heights. Especially many of these people have passed through the circus arena, here is a vivid example of a showman who became known to the whole world for his unusual appearance and talent.
Charles Stratton was a man who was famous on all continents, he was unusually rich, famous and talented. This man was discussed by all the world's media, he became a model of determination, perseverance, a real person. That is, by his example, he proved that it does not matter how you look, what matters is what you are.
The path to fame for this artist
Charles Sherwood Stratton is the most popular dwarf in the world; he was born on January 4, 1838 in Bridgeport, Connecticut. The boy grew and developed normally until 6 months, then his physical development for some reason did not go according to plan. At four years old, the baby was the same height as at six months, this could not but be alarming, everyone realized that the child is growing up as a dwarf.
In those same three years Phineas Taylor Barnum found an unusual child, the man was the director of the circus. The founder of the institution signed a contract with the father of the child, Barnum sheltered the boy, they began to train him to work in the circus. Charles learned to portray famous people, his growth did not become a hindrance in life, nothing passed, and the artist has already performed in front of a satisfied audience in New York.
Charles was only five years old when he hit the road with Barnum, the director took him on a tour of Europe. When the troupe swam across the ocean, the circus began touring the countries of the European continent. The presence of Charles in the circus program caused a storm of emotions, then he already had a pseudonym - General Tom-Tam (Tom Thumb, "Tom boy-with-finger"). He overshadowed everyone with his talent, all the audience only talked about him. The dwarf even had the good fortune to perform in front of Queen Victoria herself, and after that he even went to the stage of the Vaudeville Theater in Paris. The show was simply incredible success - it had the largest audience and the best scenes.
Throughout Europe, the boy toured with the troupe, then he became a star in America and even in Japan. At the level of the world, General Tom-Tam became a brilliant artist, at the age of 18, the dwarf nevertheless became a little taller, so, he reached only 90 centimeters in height. And the point here was not only fame and recognition, but also money, because the dwarf earned a lot, he became very rich, even saved the director from bankruptcy. That is, General Tom-Tam made a deal with Barnum, became his partner.
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At the age of 25, Charles married Lavinia Warren, she was also a dwarf growth, the young were married in a New York temple, after which they celebrated the celebration at the Metropolitan Hotel. The big wedding of little people made a splash, all the newspapers wrote about this marriage, all people told each other about an unusual couple and an incredibly rich artist of small stature. Front pages of print media screamed about the couple and their wedding. President Lincoln even hosted the newlyweds at the White House!
Charles traveled to Europe and Asia with his wife, the show went on and had the same success. Even when the artist's age exceeded 40 years, he continued to perform, by that time the man's height was already 102 centimeters. The day came when General Tom-Tam abandoned the stage and began to live in America with his wife. The artist died of a stroke when he was 45 years old, it was in Massachusetts. A lot of people came to the artist's commemoration, they were tens of thousands of people. The showman's wife died 35 years later.