P.T. Barnum - Weekend Explorer - New York Times

NYT on P.T. Barnum:

"He transformed the five-story exterior into a giant, gaudy advertisement for itself, with painted animals, illuminated panels, banners and flags, then lit it all up with limelight, a recent invention. He hired the worst musicians he could find to play on a balcony above the entrance, on the theory that their terrible noise would drive customers inside. He vexed the vestrymen of St. Paul’s by hanging a line of American flags across the street from the museum to a tree in the churchyard. When they complained, he publicly accused them of being unpatriotic."

Via Annie.