Have you ever been to the “greatest show on earth”? Do you know what the greatest show on earth is? It is Barnum and Bailey’s Circus! Otter got to attend one of these shows. There was a lot to see. There were animal acts, clown acts, acrobats, flying stunts, music, dancers, lots of lights, and fireworks! How did the circus start? Well the circus show has been around for quite a long time. Many acts we see in the circus today got their start thousands of years ago. Acrobats and Jugglers were performing in ancient Egypt and China. Performers would entertain crowds at fairs in Europe during the Middle Ages.
In the United States the Circus became popular in the 1770’s. Mostly it was trick riders on horse. They would perform in a ring. These small shows would have a few acts. Some would travel from town to town. It was very hard for them to travel at first with all the stuff they had to take with them. A few things happened to make it easier for the circus groups to travel. The first was the invention of the tarp tent that was much easier than the heavy wooden sides they had to travel with. The second was the train connecting the east to west. The show would be able to travel to many more cities a lot easier and quicker. In the 1870s a couple of men named PT Barnum and William Cameron Coup joined their shows together to create what we know as the three ring circus. Eventually Barnum merged with Bailey. After the death of both of these men the Ringling Brothers bought their show and combined it with their own to create the Greatest Show on Earth.
Have you ever been to the circus? What was your favorite act? Can you guess what Otter’s favorite act was? It was the animals of course!
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