Hi Puzzlers,
Wouldn’t you agree that our Circus Thrills puzzle by Mary Thompson captures a great piece of American history? How many of you remember your first time at the circus? Just hearing the circus was coming to town could get one filled with excitement and wonder. I even imagined a few times I would sneak away and become a circus performer and travel the country too. For many, the circus was the only opportunity to see live exotic animals, and performers.
The first circus to come to the United States was brought in by an Englishman named John Bill Ricketts. On April 3, 1793 Ricketts opened the first circus building in Philadelphia. It was such a hit that by season’s end George Washington himself attended a show. Unfortunately the amphitheater burned to the ground in 1799 and Ricketts would die the following year, but not before America had caught circus fever.
At that time (1799-1865) the circus consisted of basically three different types of acts first the menagerie, with exotic animals on display; second, troupes of diverse acts, including juggling, acrobatics and riding; and third, the combined acrobatic show and menagerie. All three were popular, but it was combination circus and menageries that would eventually become the standard for the traveling circus. In 1833 Isaac A .Van Amburgh (considered to be the first animal trainer) entered a lion’s cage and stuck his arm and head inside the mouth of the large cat, thus ushering in a new era in menageries and audience excitement.
In 1841 P.T. Barnum opened Barnum’s American Museum, which was a far cry from the typical museum. Barnum had on display “Chinese jugglers, serpent charmers, glassblowers, ventriloquists, performing fleas, Native American chiefs performing war dances, trained chickens and dogs, an orangutan, a knitting machine and a scale model of Paris.” But his display of hoaxes, including the Fejee Mermaid, the Cardiff Giant mannequin and the introduction of the smallest man in the world, General Tom Thumb, would have people talking and wondering for years.
Unfortunately the traditional circus is becoming a thing of the past so hurry and bring your young loved ones to a circus or show near you.
Happy Puzzling!
Wouldn’t you agree that our Circus Thrills puzzle by Mary Thompson captures a great piece of American history? How many of you remember your first time at the circus? Just hearing the circus was coming to town could get one filled with excitement and wonder. I even imagined a few times I would sneak away and become a circus performer and travel the country too. For many, the circus was the only opportunity to see live exotic animals, and performers.
The first circus to come to the United States was brought in by an Englishman named John Bill Ricketts. On April 3, 1793 Ricketts opened the first circus building in Philadelphia. It was such a hit that by season’s end George Washington himself attended a show. Unfortunately the amphitheater burned to the ground in 1799 and Ricketts would die the following year, but not before America had caught circus fever.
At that time (1799-1865) the circus consisted of basically three different types of acts first the menagerie, with exotic animals on display; second, troupes of diverse acts, including juggling, acrobatics and riding; and third, the combined acrobatic show and menagerie. All three were popular, but it was combination circus and menageries that would eventually become the standard for the traveling circus. In 1833 Isaac A .Van Amburgh (considered to be the first animal trainer) entered a lion’s cage and stuck his arm and head inside the mouth of the large cat, thus ushering in a new era in menageries and audience excitement.
In 1841 P.T. Barnum opened Barnum’s American Museum, which was a far cry from the typical museum. Barnum had on display “Chinese jugglers, serpent charmers, glassblowers, ventriloquists, performing fleas, Native American chiefs performing war dances, trained chickens and dogs, an orangutan, a knitting machine and a scale model of Paris.” But his display of hoaxes, including the Fejee Mermaid, the Cardiff Giant mannequin and the introduction of the smallest man in the world, General Tom Thumb, would have people talking and wondering for years.
Unfortunately the traditional circus is becoming a thing of the past so hurry and bring your young loved ones to a circus or show near you.
Happy Puzzling!
No comments:
Post a Comment