This is exactly why I hate the circus. Torture wild animals all day long so they’ll perform neato little tricks for human entertainment! No thanks.

I remember a school trip to Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus when I was kid. We watched a caravan of polar bears and grizzly bears shuttled out on the main floor in teeny-tiny cages. It was one of the bleakest things I’ve ever witnessed. The bears’ eyes were full of sadness, confusion and mostly… depression. 

Whilst I sincerely hope the lion tamer is okay (the lions attack him in the video), what did he honestly expect was going to happen to him—eventually—after years and years of whipping these wild beasts? A lion is going to lion, buddy. If someone tortures you for years, when you see your shot, you’re gonna take it and that’s what these lions did. Don’t support circuses that “employ” animals with your money.

Warning: While the footage is disturbing, it proves my point.

 
Via reddit

 
I fell in love with the circus when I was about four. It was Billy Smart’s Big Top, where I sat with my parents and brother on tiered wooden benches, eating candy floss, watching parabolas of delight unfurl on the trapeze, high-wire acts hover magically on tip-toe, acrobats build structure from chaos, and clowns colorfully spill across the sawdust. It is a love that has lasted, and I still feel the cold-water shiver of excitement whenever the circus comes to town.

These stunning color photographs from the 1940s and 1950s of circus performers, are taken from Dominque Jando’s superb The Circus Book: 1870-1950. The images are so vibrant, one could almost step into the frame and join in all the fun.
 

 

 
More circus portraits, after the jump…
 
Via Retronaut, H/T Tom Ruddock.

 
It’s been said that Mexican juggler Rudy Cárdenas rehearsed 9-5 everyday, then went on and performed his act in the evening. Now that’s dedication.

During his long career, Cárdenas was a major star of stage and TV variety shows, from the 1950s-1980s, and he was regularly considered the world’s greatest juggler. But don’t take my word for it, judge for yourself.