Ask the Chatbot Games & Quizzes History & Society Science & Tech Biographies Animals & Nature Geography & Travel Arts & Culture ProCon Money Videos

circus: Quick Facts

Written and fact-checked by
The Information Architects of Encyclopaedia Britannica

The Information Architects maintain a master list of the topics included in the corpus of  Encyclopædia Britannica, and create and manage the relationships between them.
The Information Architects of Encyclopaedia Britannica

Photos and Videos

Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus
Astley's Amphitheatre: origins of the modern circus
P.T. Barnum
Barnum & Bailey circus poster
P.T. Barnum's tent
camels in the Ringling Brothers circus
Léotard on the flying trapeze
Patricia Bourne stands in front of a row of lions balanced on their hind legs on stools, training them inside a circus cage at Bertram Mills Circus, London.
Buffalo Bill's Wild West and Congress of Rough Riders of the World
Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus
Uncover the history of P. T. Barnum's American Museum on Broadway in New York City
See All Videos and Images →

Related Topics and References

Topics

Key People

default image
Alfredo Codona
circus performer
P.T. Barnum
P.T. Barnum
American showman
default image
Guy Laliberté
Canadian performer and entrepreneur
Clyde Beatty
Clyde Beatty
American animal trainer
Kelly, Emmett
Emmett Kelly
American clown
Not in costume
Dan Rice
American clown
Franconi, detail of an engraving by Philibert-Louis Debucourt, after a painting by C. Vernet
Antonio Franconi
Italian circus impresario
default image
Bertram Mills
British circus entrepreneur
default image
James A. Bailey
American circus impresario
Philip Astley, engraving by J. Smith.
Philip Astley
British circus manager
Ducrow, engraving by T.C. Wageman
Andrew Ducrow
British equestrian
default image
W.C. Coup
American circus manager
Popov, Oleg
Oleg Popov
Russian clown
General Tom Thumb
General Tom Thumb
American showman
default image
Karl Wallenda
American acrobat
default image
George Sanger
British circus impresario
default image
John Sanger
British circus impresario
default image
Gilbert R. Spaulding
American circus impresario