On a classic episode of ID the Future, CSC Associate Director John West exposes the darker side of the beloved historical figure P.T. Barnum. Maybe you’ve watched The Greatest Showman — but have you heard of Barnum’s “What Is It?” exhibit?

Download the podcast or listen to it here.

Learn more about racist displays of human “freaks” and how the science of Barnum’s day endorsed Social Darwinism. For more, watch Human Zoos, newly released on YouTube.

Photo: Statue of P.T. Barnum, Bridgeport, CT, by Msact [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons.