Extended timeline of “The Greatest Show on Earth” 1793: Englishman John Bill Rickets takes equestrian act to U.S., adding acrobats, rope walker and clowns 1808: Bailey Circus founded by Hachaliah Bailey, who takes first African elephant to U.S. soil 1860s: Cooper and Bailey Circus founded by James A. Bailey (descendant of Hachaliah Bailey) and James E. Cooper 1871: P.T. Barnum’s Great Traveling Museum, Menagerie, Caravan, and Circus opens in Brooklyn 1874: Barnum secures New York Hippodrome – later Madison Square Gardens – as permanent site for “The Greatest Show on Earth” 1881: Barnum tries to buy baby elephant from Cooper and Bailey, but unable to agree terms they decide to merge shows, forming Barnum & Bailey Circus to tour eastern U.S. 1882: Barnum acquires Jumbo, 21-year-old, 6-tonne African elephant, for $10,000 from London Zoo to exhibit in New York 1884: Ringling Brothers Circus founded in U.S. Midwest 1885: Jumbo struck by freight train and killed in Ontario, Canada 1891: P.T. Barnum dies 1897-1902: Barnum & Bailey Circus goes on five-year tour of Europe 1897: Ringlings see opportunity for expansion and move their operation to east coast. Circus grows and they begin moving show by railroad 1905: Barnum & Bailey returns to U.S., but facing competition from Ringlings, show moves to west coast 1906: James Bailey dies 1907: Ringling Brothers buy Barnum & Bailey Circus but keep it separate from their own operation 1919: Circuses merge to form Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus (RBBB) – “The Greatest Show on Earth”. They have 1,200 employees and tour using 100 double-length railroad cars 1944: During afternoon show in Hartford, Connecticut, canvas Big Top tent (waterproofed with paraffin and gasoline mixture) catches fire, killing at least 167 people 1945: Dwindling crowds and rising costs in post-war America, hit circus hard, as public tastes migrate towards cinema and television 1956: Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus performs under Big Top for last time — thereafter performing in indoor stadium venues 1967: Longtime concert promoters Irvin Feld and brother Israel acquire RBBB for $8m at ceremony in Colosseum in Rome 1969: Felds split show into two units, Red and Blue, which tour U.S. independently by train 1972: Israel Feld dies 1980: Irvin Feld and son Kenneth co-produce Broadway hit musical, Barnum, starring Jim Dale 1984: Irvin Feld dies. Kenneth becomes CEO 1984: Cirque du Soleil founded in Montreal by former street performers Guy Laliberte and Daniel Gauthier. Show incorporates opera, ballet and contortionists, but no animals 1987: King Tusk added to show – largest elephant since P.T. Barnum introduced Jumbo in 1882 1990: Cirque du Soleil’s show “Nouvelle Experience” launches in Canada and relocates two years later to The Mirage casino in Las Vegas 1995: Feld Entertainment establishes RBBB Center for Elephant Conservation 1999: Johnathan Lee Iverson becomes first African-American RBBB ringmaster 2000: RBBB becomes first and only show business attraction to perform nonstop into its third century 2004: Third RBBB unit, Gold, created to travel by truck to areas not accessible by train 2015: Feld, in partnership with medical institutions, begins research into why elephants rarely develop cancer 2016: Following years of pressure from animal rights activists, RBBB’s Asian elephants perform for last time. Audience numbers drop sharply 2017: Cirque du Soleil now has seven shows in Las Vegas, three more in other U.S. cities and nine touring acts 2017: Kristen Michelle Wilson joins RBBB as first female ringmaster May 21, 2017: Final performance of Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus in Uniondale, New York