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

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

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.

Ringling Bros. circus performs under the big top tent.

Acrobats and performers take a break in Sarasota, Florida.

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

The circus came to Madison Square Garden in 1953.

Performers rehearse with the circus' signature elephants in in Sarasota, Florida in 1949.

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

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

Aerialist Miss Lola practiced on a tightrope as the performer’s children looked on in 1949.

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

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

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

A group of circus girls take a ride during rehearsal in 1949.

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

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