Did you ever see the Ringling Brothers Circus, or the Clyde Beatty Circus, or any other traveling circus for that matter? It is amazing how all the people and the tents arrive usually by train or truck. Ringling Brothers uses buildings in my area to for their show, but sometimes circus tents can grow overnight. Here I am, a guy that hates to take the time to put up anything and here is the circus that will erect a whole tent city overnight, only to take it back down after the show runs it's course. The circus is a show that is usually loved by young and old alike. The side shows amaze us with their odd displays, the animals also have a way of entertaining us and the performers, with their dare devil acts, scare us in an enjoyable way.

When we think of the word circus we can't help but think of the Romans. They did have a circus as we all know, but their circus was much more serious than the circuses we have today. In the Roman circus you were liable to be eaten by wild animals or run through with a sword. This was not exactly entertainment for children although there may have been some of them there. No one really knows when the circus that we know today started but most guess that it had it's roots in the Medieval Era when traveling entertainers used to go from town to town. They usually sang and played instruments. Dancing might have been involved also. Did some of these entertainers begin to do other things like juggle and throw knives? Some think that this is precisely what happened. The acts were beginning to get a little more daring as time went on.

The Roman word circus meant circle and most circuses have a ring or circle that the acts are performed in. In 17th century England, performing horses began to appear. As anyone knows, performing horses are an integral part of the circus. So here we had one of the first acts of most circuses making it's appearance. In the middle of the 18 century, in England, the circus ring appeared. Now we had a horse show taking place in a ring while people watched. Not quite a circus, but close. In 1782 an act using a ring and horses opened up and called itself the Royal Circus and the name of circus has stuck ever since. Other acts began to be added and the show expanded.

As the 19th century rolled in, circuses split. There was the small European circus, usually a one ring affair and the American circus, a much larger show which sometimes had huge casts and multiple rings and needed an entire train to haul it. The American circus attracted huge crowds because it would go from big train stop to big train stop. Many of these stops were near large cities and the people in these cities could hardly wait for the show to arrive. By now the shows had exotic animals, clowns and performers of every kind. They were no longer limited to just a horse show.The circus had become one of the main forms of family entertainment. Not all large traveling shows were circuses however, there were also shows like Buffalo Bill's Wild West Show. Names like P.T. Barnum and The Ringling Brothers became household words in America and even on the other side of the ocean. The French were the first to produce a trapeze act. We even know who the first trapeze artist was, his name was Jules Leotard and he performed on November 12, 1859 in the Cirque Napoleon in Paris. The show was an instant hit and the trapeze became a mainstay of the circus.

In the 20th century Ringling Brothers combined with Barnum & Bailey to form the largest circus. Ringling Brothers had been purchasing circus shows all along. They actually purchased 6 other circuses and combined them with their own and this included the Barnum & Bailey circus.This was all accomplished by 1907. It is believed that the first trapeze act with Barnum & Bailey took place in 1901.

Today we have many circuses in the world. New York City even has the Big Apple Circus. Almost all have horses, animals and a trapeze act. Although some use tents, big shows like Ringling Brothers Barnum & Baileys Circus usually use a building along their route. An example of this is the use of what is called the Coliseum when they arrive in Nassau, New York. The Coliseum is an arena where shows and hockey games are usually played. The ancient Romans wouldn't recognize our circus, no one get eaten by animals, at least not on purpose. The atmosphere is a lot more jovial than in ancient times and clowns are everywhere. Another thing that I find interesting about the circus is that you can buy strange things. The last time I went to a circus they were selling these little boxes. When I looked inside one, there was a live chameleon in it. My kids all wanted one so I gave in. One of the creatures escaped and it took me a week to find it.

The circus is an enduring form of entertainment that was created by trial and error. It has been refined to our taste and therefore should last for quite some time. If you have never seen a circus you are missing a great show.