19. The Gilded Age Roots of the Term “There’s a Sucker Born Every Minute“
From the first, archaeologists, scientists, and other scholars who saw the Cardiff Giant declared it a fraud. However, many theologians and preachers stepped forth and passionately defended its authenticity. Crowds of the curious and faithful flocked to William Newell’s farm in ever greater numbers. Hull, who had spent the equivalent of about $60,000 in 2022 dollars, sold his share in the Cardiff Giant to a syndicate for about half a million in today’s money. The Giant was then moved to Syracuse, where it drew ever larger crowds.
Eventually, P. T. Barnum, the Gilded Age’s greatest huckster, offered the equivalent of a million dollars for the find. When the owners refused to sell, Barnum commissioned his own plaster copy and exhibited it in New York City. He declared his giant to be the authentic Cardiff Giant, and that the one in Syracuse was a fake. That brazenness worked, and gave rise to the phrase, coined in reference to those who paid to see Barnum’s copy, that “there’s a sucker born every minute“. Lawsuits about authenticity followed, and in the subsequent litigation, Hull finally confessed to the hoax. The court declared both giants fakes, and ruled that Barnum could not be sued for calling a fake giant a fake.
Read More: Remarkable Fraudulent Discoveries and Inventions.
