There is actually no physical proof or evidence that shows P.T. Barnum said, "There's a sucker born every minute". What we do know for sure is that Barnum and Bailey's "Greatest Show On Earth" has been entertaining us for generations and has given us some of the greatest and sadly, most tragic moments in circus history.
Barnum and Bailey's circus goes back to the 19th century. P.T. Barnum was born in 1810 in Connecticut. He actually met Bailey while an owner of a retail fruit store in Bethel. Right from their first encounter, Barnum knew that this was a man he wanted to do business with. It turned out to be one of the greatest partnerships of all time.
The first Barnum and Bailey circus was actually not called a circus at all but a museum, a traveling one. The first one was opened in 1841 in New York. People would be ushered through the museum in an orderly fashion and if they wanted to go back in they would have to pay another quarter to do so. It was during this time that Barnum introduced the Freak Show to the circus. He didn't do this because they were deformed, but because they were truly different from regular people and he believed that regular people would pay to see them. He was more right than even he could have imagined.
The actual golden age of the circus didn't hit until the 1850s. By this time, about 30 circuses were touring the United States. During this period the circus was the most popular form of entertainment in the United States. In many places, this was the only form of entertainment they had all year and waiting for the circus to come to town was an event in itself.
In 1869, the Ringling Brothers, who eventually bought out Barnum and Bailey, began touring the country with their circus trains. Barnum took credit for this but the idea was actually not his but the Ringling Brothers'. Because of the animals that had to be transported, special cars needed to be constructed in order to do this. This led to the eventual development of the "piggyback" system of rail freight handling.
Over the years, the Ringling Brothers circus, still using the Barnum and Bailey name as a selling point, grew to massive proportions. But this growth wasn't without its problems. The worst accident in circus history occurred on July 6, 1944. The regular flame retardant top of the circus tent was leaking from the rain, so they replaced it with a top that was far from fire proof. That day, with over 7000 people in attendance, the tent went up in flames. Eventually, the tent poles collapsed and the roof caved in. In the aftermath, 168 people were either burned or trampled to death. About 80 of them were kids. Almost 500 people in total were injured and the claims by insurance companies came to almost $4 million.
But the circus survived and was reborn, giving us such great performers as the immortal Gunther Gabel-Williams, who is said to be the greatest lion tamer of all time.
Yes, the circus is alive and well and coming to YOUR town.
Michael Russell Your Independent guide to Entertainment
