Ringling Brothers Circus
| Ringling Bros. World's Greatest Shows | |
|---|---|
 Poster for Ringling Bros. World's Greatest Shows, ca. 1899 The Ringling brothers depicted in the upper left corner | |
| Origin | |
| Circus name | Ringling Bros. World's Greatest Shows |
| Country | United States |
| Founder(s) | The Ringling Bros. |
| Year founded | 1884 |
| Information | |
| Operator(s) | Ringling Bros. |
| Fate | Merged with Barnum & Bailey's Greatest Show on Earth |
The Ringling Bros. World's Greatest Shows was a circus founded in the United States in 1884 by five of the seven Ringling Brothers: Albert, August, Otto, Alfred T., Charles, John), and Henry. In 1907 it acquired the Barnum & Bailey Greatest Show on Earth, merging them in 1919 to become Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus, promoted as The Greatest Show on Earth.
History
In 1882, before the Ringling brothers created their first circus, the 5 brothers performed skits and juggling routines in town halls around the state of Wisconsin. They called this the "Ringling Bros. Variety Performance" when they took the show to the next town. With two wandering performers the next year, the brothers toured the Northwest. After the Northwest tour, they used the money earned for suits.[1]
They expanded their acts into a one ring show in 1884. The show added a trick horse and a bear at the end of the season. The circus started traveling by trains in 1888 allowing the show to consistently expand.[1]
The Ringling Circus purchased the Yankee Robinson Circus. This brought them to the attention of James Anthony Bailey of Barnum and Bailey's Circus as a viable competitor. The brothers met with Bailey thus agreeing to a division of areas. This was followed by them purchasing a 1/2 share of the Adam Forepaugh Sells Brothers Circus circus from Bailey. Bailey, under the area division, nixed the Ringlings from playing at the Madison Garden, a location that was the brother's ambition to perform at.[1]
In 1906, Bailey died which led to the Ringlings taking over Forepaugh-Sells, which continued to operate separately. In October 1907, the stockholders of Barnum and Bailey's Circus approved the sale of the circus to the Ringlings.[1]
External links
- Ringling Collection of images of 19th century American and British actors and actresses – Open access digital collection
References
- 1 2 3 4 "Augustus Ringling Dead. Head of Tented Shows In America Dies in New Orleans." (PDF). New York Times. August 19, 1907. Retrieved 2008-07-20.
When the Ringling Brothers bought the Barnum Bailey show they ... got a monopoly on the circus business in America. They now own outright three ...