The rise and fall of “The Greatest Show on Earth” After 146 years entertaining families across the United States, the final curtain is coming down on the iconic Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus – a victim of financial and animal rights pressures Flying Caceres trapeze troupe 500 people perform and work on touring shows – most will lose jobs ————— 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 P.T. Barnum 1871: P.T. Barnum’s Grand 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 and Bailey (right) merge shows as 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. Jumbo hit by train and killed in Ontario, Canada, three years later 1884: Ringling Brothers Circus founded in U.S. Midwest 1897-1902: Barnum & Bailey Circus makes five-year tour of Europe 1897: Ringlings see opportunity to expand and relocate to east coast, moving show by railroad 1905: Barnum & Bailey returns to U.S., but facing competition from Ringlings, it moves to west coast 1919: Circuses merge to form Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus – The Greatest Show on Earth (RBBB). They have 1,200 employees and tour using 100 rail cars 1944: Big Top 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: RBBB performs under Big Top for last time, moving to indoor stadium venues 1967: Longtime concert promoters Irvin Feld and brother Israel acquire RBBB for $8m 1969: Felds split show into two units, Red and Blue, which tour U.S. independently by train 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 Jumbo 1995: RBBB Center for Elephant Conservation established 1995: RBBB Center for Elephant Conservation established 1999: Johnathan Lee Iverson, first African-American RBBB ringmaster 2000: RBBB becomes first show to perform nonstop into its third century 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 in other U.S. cities and nine touring acts May 21, 2017: Final performance of Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus in Uniondale, New York RINGLING BROS. AND BARNUM & BAILEY’S “RED” TRAIN (108 carriages, “Blue” train has 56 carriages) Twin engines 54 cars 32 coaches 20 flat cars Over 1.6km long Red and Blue trains to be decommissioned in Florida after last show Sources: Feld Entertainment, Barnum Museum, Trains magazine, wire agencies Pictures: Feld Entertainment, Wiki Commons © GRAPHIC NEWS