Ringling Bros. circus: How The Greatest Show on Earth got its start

The Greatest Show on Earth got its start with some of the smallest shows on Earth.

In 1882, five sons of German and French immigrants put together a vaudeville-like troupe in tiny Mazomanie, Wis., singing, juggling, joking and entertaining. The Ringling brothers' first performance launched on Nov. 27 of that year. The brothers soon took their show on the road performing in dusty town halls throughout the state.

Two years later, the entertainers expanded their act, adding a horse and a bear. Four years later the variety show, whose assembly was lugged from town to town by animal-drawn caravans, hit the rails, traveling by train to venues across the Midwest and onto the East as the show flourished.

Around the same time, a businessman and showman named P.T. Barnum lent his name and finances to another circus n Delavan, Wis., called  "P.T. Barnum's Great Traveling Museum, Menagerie, Caravan, and Hippodrome."

Animal rights activists claim major win in Ringling Bros. closing

Ringling Bros. circus closing after 146 years

In 1907, the Ringlings bought the Barnum operations and the two circuses endured independently for a few years. When logistics and finances became too difficult, efforts were combined. And on March 29,  "Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Combined Shows" debuted in New York City.

John Ringling moved the circus' headquarters to Sarasota, Fla., in 1927.

In 1967, businessman and music promoter Irvin Feld bought the circus and went to work improving the standards — and profitability — of the show. He eliminated the freak show and other smaller acts, and animals were often center stage.

A year later, in an effort to boost its depleted clown ranks, Feld founded the Ringling Brothers and Barnum & Bailey Clown College, which trained about 1,400 clowns from 1968 to 1997. The tuition-free college required extensive personality profiles on applications. Graduates were awarded with a specific clown suit, wig, shoes and makeup kit.

The circus' moniker became enshrined as an American institution with the 1952 film The Greatest Show on Earth, which was produced and directed by Cecil B. DeMille and dotted with stars, including James Stewart as a mysterious clown who never removes his makeup.

On Saturday, the circus announced it would end its 146-year run in May. The operation has been under fire by animals right activists who say forcing animals to perform is cruel. Elephant acts, which were a long-running mainstay of the show, came under the greatest scrutiny. Last year, the circus announced it was retiring its elephants, who were moved to the Center for Elephant Conservation in Polk City, Fla.

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