Greatest Show on Earth
Learn about this topic in these articles:
circus history
- In circus: History
…was billed as the “Greatest Show on Earth.” It offered several attractions borrowed from Barnum’s museum, from which evolved the sideshow (see below), a feature unique to American circuses.
Read More
contribution by Coup
merger with Cooper, Bailey and Co.’s Circus
- In James A. Bailey
Barnum’s “Greatest Show on Earth” and merged with that enterprise in 1881. Bailey’s managerial astuteness complemented Barnum’s abilities as a promoter and made their circus the most successful enterprise of its kind in the United States. After Barnum’s death in 1891, the circus made several triumphant…
Read More
Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus
- In Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus: World War II, the Hartford fire, and The Greatest Show on Earth
Train travel was restricted during World War II by the needs of the U.S. military and government, but, recognizing the relief from wartime tensions that the circus could provide for the American public, Pres. Franklin D. Roosevelt granted Ringling Bros.…
Read More