P.T. Barnum's Elephant

P. T. Barnum, the famed American circus entrepreneur and the reputed originator of the phrase "There's a sucker born every minute", at one point used an elephant to draw a plow at his private farm. A bewildered neighbor, although a friend of the circus man, got into an argument with Barnum about the appropriateness of this enterprise. Barnum expressed his view that an elephant is after all just another working animal on the farm. more...

A monkey and a parrot

A young Madame de Choiseul longed for a parrot, that
should be a miracle of eloquence ; and, as every shop in Paris
then sold macaws, parrots, cockatoos, &c., a parrot was soon
found for the nymph ; but -she had another passion, and was
enamoured of General Jackoo, a celebrated monkey, at Astley's :
ingots of gold were offered for this monkey, but Astley demanded
a terre for life ; but fortunately, another miracle of a monkey
was heard of, who was not in so exalted a sphere of life, being
only in a kitchen, where he had learned to pluck fowls with
inimitable dexterity. more...