Born in 1838 in Bridgeport, Connecticut, Stratton ceased growing at six months, ending up with an adult height of 40 inches—a condition that is today called pituitary dwarfism. When he was five years old, Stratton was hired by P.T. Barnum and worked in stage shows at the showman’s American Museum under the pseudonym “General Tom Thumb.” Stratton learned to sing, dance, and imitate famous people of the time and regularly toured the world with Barnum, quickly becoming an international sensation and counting Abraham Lincoln and Queen Victoria among his fans….
