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The Ringling Bros. ‘Greatest Show on Earth’ Is Closing After 146 Years

Jess McHugh

January 18, 2017 at 11:31 AM

<p>Ringling Bros. circus performs under the big top tent.</p>

<p>An animal trainer works with leopards, a lioness, and a black panther in the 1940s.</p>

<p>President and director of Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus John Ringling North (left) stands nearby during a rehearsal for Circus in Sarasota, Florida in 1949.</p>

<p>Acrobats and performers take a break in Sarasota, Florida.</p>

<p>Spectators look on during the high wire act in the Ringling Bros. circus at Madison Square Garden, New York City in 1953.</p>

<p>The circus came to Madison Square Garden in 1953.</p>

<p>Performers rehearse with the circus' signature elephants in in Sarasota, Florida in 1949.</p>

<p>The show has been a staple of U.S. entertainment since the mid-19th century.</p>

<p>Animal rights activists have lobbied against the Ringling Bros. elephant act for decades, citing animal cruelty, including the use of bull-hooks.</p>

<p>Aerialist Miss Lola practiced on a tightrope as the performer?s children looked on in 1949.</p>

<p>"The competitor in many ways is time," current owner Kenneth Feld told Associated Press of the dwindling crowds.</p>

<p>Tamer Evelyn Currie, of the Ringling Brothers Circus, is pictured performing her act in 1962.</p>

<p>The Christiani family is pictured practicing their bareback riding act for Ringling Bros. circus performance in Madison Square Garden in 1941.</p>

<p>A group of circus girls take a ride during rehearsal in 1949.</p>

<p>Actress Esther Williams climbs atop an elephant for a charity show to benefit St. John's Hospital in Hollywood,</p>

<p>Performer Carmen Miranda took part in the 1949 benefit for St. John's hospital in Sarasota, Florida.</p>

Changing tastes and ongoing controversies fueled the circus' demise.

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