Ringling Brothers

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Ringling Brothers

American circus proprietors

Also known as: Rüngeling Brothers

Written and fact-checked by The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica

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Original surname:: Rüngeling

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Ringling Brothers, family of American circus proprietors who created the Ringling Brothers circus empire in the late 19th century.

The members active in founding and running the family’s circus enterprises were all brothers: Albert C. (1852–1916), Otto (1858–1911), Alfred T. (1861–1919), Charles (1863–1926), John (1866–1936), and occasionally August G. (1854–1907) and Henry (1869–1918) Ringling.

The sons of August Rüngeling, a German-born harness maker, Charles, Albert, Otto, Alfred, and John in 1882 formed a song-and-dance troupe, the Classic and Comic Concert Co., and went on the road with it for two seasons. They began adding circus acts to their show, and they organized their first small circus, which opened on May 19, 1884, in their hometown of Baraboo, Wisconsin; from there they toured the U.S. Midwest. Their progress was slow until they acquired their first elephant in 1888, after which the circus expanded rapidly. Charles was the guiding managerial force behind the circus for many years. In 1890 the Ringling Brothers first began loading their circus wagons on railway cars, enabling them to make a much longer tour. By 1900 the Ringling Brothers were actively competing with the Barnum & Bailey Circus, and they subsequently started buying up other circuses. They acquired the Forepaugh-Sells Circus in 1906, and, after James A. Bailey’s death in 1906, they bought the Barnum & Bailey Circus in 1907, thus becoming the leading circus in the country, the Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Combined Shows.

circus

theatrical entertainment

Written by Robert Lewis Parkinson, Antony Dacres Hippisley Coxe•All

Fact-checked by The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica

Last Updated: Mar 4, 2025 • Article History

Key People:: P.T. Barnum; Clyde Beatty; Guy Laliberté; Emmett Kelly; Dan Rice

Related Topics:: clown; Wild West show; sideshow; equestrian act; one-ring circus

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circus, an entertainment or spectacle usually consisting of trained animal acts and exhibitions of human skill and daring. The word has the same root as circle and circumference, recalling the distinctive environment in which such entertainment is presented—the ring, a circular performance area usually bounded by a short fence (or “curb”). The ring may be enclosed in an arena, in a building designed for circus performances, or in a tent, and it is generally surrounded by tiers of seats for spectators.

Variations to this definition exist, however, and any attempt at a strict, all-inclusive definition reduces the term’s application to a particular nationality, generation, or proprietorship. Some circuses do not use trained animals, for example, such as the circuses of China and Africa, which feature acrobatic acts similar to those elsewhere, albeit with traditions rooted in religion and folklore. At various times circuses have offered supplementary attractions such as street parades, menageries, sideshows, pantomimes, and theatrical presentations. A number of circuses, especially in Europe, have been stationary, occupying permanent, often elegant buildings in larger cities. Others have traveled extensively—originally by horse and wagon and then by railroad, boat, motor vehicle, or even airplane—and exhibited in tents, theatres, and, beginning in the 1960s, huge enclosed sports arenas. Many circus companies, particularly in the United States, exhibit simultaneously in three or more rings, with the building or tent taking on a rectangular or elliptical shape; others retain the one-ring format. Some organizations, such as the Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus, could point to a history extending back a century or more; other circuses, such as those sponsored by fraternal organizations (e.g., the Shriners), existed for less than a single season or for only one engagement. Through all the above, however, there runs a common thread: the ring, by which spectators readily recognize the entertainment known as “circus.”

Early history

Origins

The circus is of comparatively recent origin, yet certain elements can be traced back to ancient Rome. The great Roman amphitheatres—called circuses after the Latin word for “circle”—were most often devoted to gladiatorial combats, chariot races, the slaughter of animals, mock battles, and other blood sports. The most spectacular of these arenas, the Circus Maximus, was in operation for more than 1,000 years. It would seem on the surface that these exhibitions of carnage had little in common with modern circuses, yet it is from the early Roman circuses that traditions such as trained animals and the preshow parade derive.

Elsewhere, ancient peoples performed other acts associated with the modern circus. Acrobatics, balancing acts, and juggling are probably as old as humankind itself, with records of such acts being performed in Egypt as early as 2500 bce. The Greeks practiced ropedancing; early African civilizations engaged in siricasi (a combination of folkloric dances and acrobatics); and the ancient Chinese juggled and performed acrobatic acts for members of the imperial court. Clowns have existed in nearly every period and civilization, both as characters in farces and as individual performers.

For centuries, however, there were no attempts to organize such acts into a distinct entertainment; rather, individuals and small troupes of performers with specialized talents wandered through Europe, Africa, and Asia. Such roving entertainers appeared wherever groups of people gathered: in nobles’ halls, at community celebrations, and at marketplaces. In the 9th century King Alfred the Great of England was said to have been entertained by a wild beast show, and in the 11th century William the Conqueror brought performing troupes of ropedancers, tumblers, and contortionists to England from France.

Fairs played an important role in developing trade throughout Europe from the 7th century until the late medieval period, at which point more-regular channels of marketing were standardized. Fairs then became a place less for trading than for entertainment, providing a showcase for acrobatics, feats of skill, trained animals, and other elements later associated with the circus. By the late 18th century, however, they were regarded as unsavory affairs, as they had become gathering places for pickpockets, thieves, and vagrants.