Interesting Facts about Circus

In the last 250 years, how long they have existed, there happened some exciting things that could be said about modern circuses – some positive and some negative:
Many ancient civilizations like Egyptian, Chinese, Indian, Greek, Roman, Norse, Aztec, and Polynesian knew about juggling.
There are eight variants of tightrope walking: tightwire, highwire, slackwire, skywalk, slacklining, freestyle slacklining, funambule, and jultagi (Korean tradition).
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 giant “big top” tent. 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.
Contemporary circus, as we know it today, appeared for the first time in the 1970s. It's a combination of classic circus and theater.
Some estimations are that there are around 20,000 clowns in the world.

Circus performers consider whistling and eating peanuts backstage bad luck. They carry hair from an elephant's tail in their pocket for good luck.
Circuses are often accused of mistreatment of animals.
the United States has around 12,000 circuses with animals. Less than 100 U.S. Department of Agriculture inspectors are assigned to monitor them.
Animals in circuses spend around 96% of their time chained or caged.
Caged animals often show repetitive behavior like obsessive swaying, bobbing, and rocking. These happen because these animals' high stress and boredom affect them. Elephants, for instance, spend 10 hours a day, on averagely, in this kind of behavior
Most animals in circuses spend around 11 months a year on the road, in box cars and cramped. Because they don't move enough, they develop arthritis and other joint problems.
Animal trainers in circuses use bullhooks, whips, and electric prods to train animals to do tricks.
There are laws protecting animals in traveling shows, but they are inadequate and poorly enforced.
Circuses mostly use animals captured in the wild and taken from their habitat.
Many circuses lease their animals seasonally from dealers. Because of that, some circuses don't provide regular, competent veterinary care. It is cheaper that way.
Animals are, during transport, often deprived of food and water for extended periods.
Cages in which tigers are kept are an average of 5 m2 in area.
A law that will ban the use of all wild animals in circuses will be enforced by the end of 2015 but only in England.