1956 Ringling Program Q& A

Fun questions and answers from the Ringling Bros and Barnum & Bailey 1956 Circus Magazine & Program.  The booklette cost 25 cents at the time and included stories, features, photos, & comics.  

How's Your Circus I.Q.?

1. How many miles does The Greatest Show on Earth travel during an average Circus season?

The Circus travels about 15,000 miles each year, some years more.  In 1955 it traveled 18,264 miles.

2.  How many cities does the Circus visit during the average season?

The Circus visits approximately 140 cities in its travels throughout the country.

3.  How many people are employed by the Big Show, including performers, executive personnel and other employees?

The Big Show employs 1,200 people.

4.  The roster of the Circus is made up of people from many countries.  How many different nationalities are represented?

The employees of the Circus come from many countries all over the globe.  There are 28 nationalities represented.

5. Everyone employed by the Circus receives three meals a day in its Dining Department.  What is this Department called?

The Dining Department is called the Hotel Ringling and the huge Circus family, which includes bosses, stars, owners and workers, all eat here.

6.  How large a site do the Winterquarters of the Greatest Show on Earth occupy and of what does it consist?

Ringling Winterquarters occupy 200 acres of land.  There are railroad shops, machine and paint shops, tent-making and wood-working shops, seat and rigging shops, electrical department, harness and wardrobe shops and a motor fleet garage and repair department.

7.  How many tents house the Circus?  Are they used for more than one season?

The tent-making shops or sail-loft turns out 41 tents - the world's largest big top, the managerie tent, the side-show tent, the horse tent and 37 smaller tents - all new each year.

8. How much canvas is used to make up this tented city?

76,000 yards of flameproof canvas are used to make these tents.

9. How many miles of rope are used in the Big Show's tents?

73 miles of rope are used in the Big Show's tents and reduced to a single strand it would more than encircle the globe.

10. The Circus generates its own electrical power.  How many Diesel plants are used to generate the required current?

It takes 15 Diesel plants to generate the amount of electrical power used by the Circus.

The Great Blondin

 Charles Blondin.  Aka The Great Blondin.

He was a French daredevil who made his first circus appearance as a young boy performing somersaults and wire dancing as 'The Little Wonder".  

Blondin was an amazingly athletic acrobat who once leapt over two lines of soldiers holding fixed bayonets!  

He was many things but most well known as a tightrope walker.  He never used a net.  He never used a harness.

June.  1859.  The 35 year old strung a hemp rope between the American and Canadian sides of Niagara Falls.  He then proceeded to stroll across the chasm, pausing to enjoy a few swigs from a bottle of wine that he pulled up from below!

He must have been a fan of the Falls as he repeated the stunt multiple times with new and slightly suicidal feats:  

• On stilts!
• With a sack over his head!
• Walked in baskets!
• Wearing chains!
• Pushing a wheelbarrow!
• Carrying his terrified manager on his back!

But get THIS!  The Great Blondin crossed the Falls with a cooking stove.  Stopping halfway to prepare an omelet!  An omelet!  While balancing on a 2 inch wide rope suspended over 160 feet above the raging water!  Madness!

It is estimated he walked 10,000 miles on a tightrope over the span of his career.  His skill brought fame and he was in high demand across the United States, Europe, Asia, and Australia.  Blondin was married three times and fathered eight children.  To celebrate his 70th birthday, he walked across Montmartre.  Because why not.

Wow.  Just wow.