Souvenir of the Circus Yellow

Black text over a red, black and white illustration of a clown's head on a yellow background

The circus was once the most popular form of entertainment in the world.  While the idea of being entertained by horses and other animals dates back to Roman times, the “modern” circus is attributed to Philip Astley. Astley was the first to set up an amphitheater where both horse riding tricks and acrobats could be conducted in the same space. The first circus building in the United States opened in Philadelphia in 1793. Joshua Purdy Brown was the first circus owner to utilize a large canvas tent as a performance arena in 1825. P.T. Barnum changed the way the circus would entertain by introducing a multi-ring center stage with various visual peculiarities and menageries.