The first modern circus was opened in 1768 by Philip Astley but some say that circuses as a way of public entertainment originate from ancient Rome and their “circuses”.

The first modern circus appeared in the United States in Philadelphia in 1793 and its owner was Englishman John Bill Ricketts.

USSR opened its State University of Circus and Variety Arts (or the Moscow Circus School) in 1927.

J. Purdy Brown was the first to place a circus inside a large tent - “big top”. He did it in 1825.

J. Purdy Brown was the first to place a circus inside a large tent - “big top”. He did it in 1825.

“Circo Atayde” is the oldest still running circus in the world. It was founded on August 26 1888 in the Plaza de Toros, Mazatlán, Mexico and is still run by the same family - Atayde.

Some estimations are that there are around 20,000 clowns in the world.

A standard circus ring remains 42-feet in diameter, the size originally established by Astley, in 1768.

Leotards are named after the first star of the flying trapeze, Jules Leotard.

The word jumbo, meaning large, entered the English language because of Jumbo, an 11-foot-tall elephant that the American showman PT Barnum bought from London Zoo.

The traditional circus theme music is called Entrance of the Gladiators and was composed by Julius Fucik in 1897.

Foot-juggling with a person is known as a Risley act after the 19th century American pioneer of the style Richard Risley Carlisle.

The word clown is believed to come from the Icelandic word klunni, meaning a clumsy person.

Joshua Purdy Brown staged the first circus in a tent or big top in America in 1825. Before that, circuses were performed in buildings or the open air.

Clowns are nicknamed Joeys after 19th century pantomime star Joseph Grimaldi.

Like many words in the English language, the word “circus” comes from Greek, by way of Latin—circus is a Latin word which comes from the Greek kirkos. The word originally meant “ring” or “circle,” and it referred to a place where Romans would hold all kinds of entertainment, whether it was gladiator battles, chariot racing, or feeding Rome’s enemies to the lions.

Alongside circus traditions, performers have developed many circus superstitions. For instance, both whistling backstage and entering the ring with your left foot are both considered bad luck. Also no peacock feathers in the dressing room!

The Oscar-winning 1952 circus epic, The Greatest Show on Earth, was the first film that Steven Spielberg ever saw in a theater.

Once a performer’s wardrobe trunk is set down backstage, it’s considered bad luck to move it before the circus relocates.