S1E10: The Greatest Show on Earth

Blood and Business

The Greatest Show on Earth -- a slogan adopted in 1919 when The Ringling Brothers Circus combined with the Barnum & Bailey Circus to begin the last ever chapter of the historic American Circus. In a time before YouTube, or television the circus was a seriously big deal.  And as long as we have known the circus , it’s always been a family affair. The first place the world ever saw such a show, such an idea, was in the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries. Single unit European families began putting on small road shows and traveling from town to town with their unique skills. Tightrope performers, equestrians, acrobats… They lived and worked as a family. And though the Ringling Brothers came along more than a century later, they were no different. They just scaled it up a bit. Hired a few non-blood relative assets. But in the beginning it was truly nothing but a family affair. Just 5 brothers and a crazy dream. This is the true story of Al Ringling (originally Rüngling) and his brothers: Gus, Otto, Alf T.,  Charles, John, Henry, and their sister, Ida. We read their biography... here is everything you need to know, complete with all the juicy details.

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Get ready for some major behind-the-scenes peeks, bonus content, and blooper reels!! As a Blood & Business patron, you have access to monthly minisodes, interactive videos, live Q&A's, voting rights (you get to pick what sibling set we cover next!!) aaaand this podcast will live on, all thanks to YOU! Tiktok: @bloodandbusiness  https://www.tiktok.com/@bloodandbusiness?is_from_webapp=1&sender_device=pc Instagram: @bloodandbusiness https://www.instagram.com/bloodandbusiness/ YouTube: Blood and Business https://youtube.com/channel/UC2gwWBmXHWF6P5zMHcMs98g Cover Art Photo Credits: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1VVM8lp7HHe_g6pXZ8dyAh6HQ7BaK0KiXsuaUyPhU0V0/edit?usp=sharing

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