Jenny Lind, 1850's version of Beatlemania

Jenny Lind, 1850's version of Beatlemania. . , When the Beatles arrived in New York City in 1964 they were met by 3,000 screaming fans. Jenny Lind, "The Swedish Nightingale", was met on the dock by 30,000 fans. But who is Jenny Lind?, Joanna Marie Lind was born in Stockholm Sweden October 6, 1820. Jenny's early life was a lonely one as she was shuttled from different homes as her parents tried to make a living. When she was lonely she often sang to her cat. As the story goes when Jenny was 9 she was heard singing to her cat. She was brought to the attention of the director of the Swedish Opera House and as they say the rest was history., She gained fame throughout Europe and had many admirers including Hans Christen Andersen. Anderson loved Jenny Lind but his affections weren't returned. His poem The Nightingale is said to be a tribute to her. The poem gave Jenny her nickname "The Swedish Nightingale". Other admirers included Felix Mendelssohn and Frederick Chopin., The famous singer gained the attention of PT Barnum. Barnum had a reputation as a promoter of oddities and was looking for a more respectable performer. Jenny was a shrewd business woman and before she would step foot on a boat she had Barnum agree to pay her upfront $187,000. Barnum tried to take out loans for the money but no one would back him. Barnum took a big gamble and footed the bill himself. Now he had to make the American public fall in love with someone they didn't know. Barnum started a heavy promotional campaign that paid off when Jenny's boat was met on September 1, 1850 by 30,000 adoring fans. Barnum's gamble worked, her 95 concerts along the east coast netted Barnum around $600,000 and Jenny around $300,000. Not bad for a singer no one in America knew until PT Barnum made her a celebrity in New York City.