Irvin Feld, Israel Feld and partners acquire Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey® on November 11, 1967 at the Colosseum in Rome, Italy.
Irvin Feld creates and institutes Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Clown College® to preserve and train new generations in the honorable art form of clowning.
Irvin Feld acquires Circus Williams, Germany’s most famous circus, to obtain the sensational Gunther Gebel-Williams, the world’s greatest animal trainer.
The Felds create a second touring unit, doubling the size of Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey.
Irvin Feld hires the King Charles Troupe after seeing the performers on a sidewalk outside of Madison Square Garden in New York City. He senses something very unique and special about the group of young, charismatic athletes. One year later, they make their debut, becoming the first African-American act to perform with Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey.
Kenneth Feld joins the company working alongside his father, Irvin, and they become the first father-and-son team to produce The Greatest Show On Earth®.
Irvin Feld and Kenneth Feld introduce American audiences to Michu, the smallest man in the world.
Ursula Bottcher and her 10 giant polar bears, the first polar bears in the show since 1946, star in the 106th edition of Ringling Bros.
Kenneth Feld introduces the Globe of Steel to a nationwide audience. This unique daredevil performance features motorcyclists whirling within inches of each other at 40 mph inside of a 16-foot steel globe.
Irvin Feld and Kenneth Feld co-produce the Broadway hit musical, Barnum, starring Jim Dale and Glenn Close.
On July 10, 1982, flying trapeze artist Miguel Vasquez completes the first quadruple somersault in performance history.
Irvin Feld passes away and Kenneth Feld continues the legacy of The Greatest Show On Earth as CEO and sole producer.
The Living Unicorn is featured in The Greatest Show On Earth. Media from all over the world are caught up in the spectacle and magic of the fascinating creature. A New York Times ad heralds, “Children of all ages believe in Santa Claus, Peter Pan, the Wizard of Oz and the fabled Unicorn. Don’t let the Grinches steal the fantasy!”
The Shanghai Acrobatic Troupe becomes the first group of artists from the People’s Republic of China to perform with Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey.
Kenneth Feld introduces the elephant King Tusk, the largest land mammal performing since P.T. Barnum introduced Jumbo in 1882.
Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey embarks on its first tour of Japan.
Gunther Gebel-Williams embarks on his farewell tour after a quarter of a century and never missed a show in over 12,000 performances.
Mongolian circus performers, the first to appear in the western world, join The Greatest Show On Earth.
Feld Entertainment, Inc. establishes Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Center for Elephant Conservation®.
Ariana the Human Arrow dazzles audiences, creating a media firestorm rivaled only by the Living Unicorn a decade earlier.
The All Access Pre-Show is created to bring audiences closer than ever to The Greatest Show On Earth.
Audiences are introduced to Johnathan Lee Iverson, the first African-American and youngest Ringmaster of The Greatest Show On Earth.
As the new millennium is celebrated, Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey becomes the first and only show business attraction to perform nonstop into its third century of entertaining.
At the age of 22, Sara the Tiger Whisperer becomes the youngest female to present Bengal tigers at Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey.
Nicole Feld joins the company, working alongside her father, Kenneth Feld.
Kenneth Feld and Nicole Feld become the first father-and-daughter team to co-produce Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey.
Kenneth Feld and Nicole Feld create a third circus unit of Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey. The Gold Unit travels by truck to cities not accessed by train, so more families across the country can enjoy The Greatest Show On Earth.
Nicole Feld becomes the first solo female producer in the history of Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey.
Alana Feld joins the company and begins promoting The Greatest Show On Earth, just as her father and grandfather did before her.
Together, Nicole Feld and Alana Feld begin producing Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Presents Barnum 200, the 140th edition of Ringling Bros., marking the first time a sister team produces The Greatest Show On Earth.
Juliette Feld joins the company working alongside her father and sisters to market and strategically introduce The Greatest Show On Earth to new audiences.
Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey sets the Guinness World Record™ for the World’s Largest Pie Fight.
On March 5, Feld Entertainment announces that the Asian elephants will be removed from the traveling circus and relocated to the Ringling Bros. Center for Elephant Conservation.
Feld Entertainment and the Ringling Bros. Center for Elephant Conservation announce a partnership with pediatric oncologist Dr. Joshua Schiffman and Primary Children’s Hospital in Salt Lake City. Dr. Schiffman and the team from Intermountain Primary Children’s Hospital, the Department of Pediatrics at the University of Utah, the Huntsman Cancer Institute and the veterinarians at the Center for Elephant Conservation begin groundbreaking research to understand why elephants rarely develop cancer.
On May 1, Ringling Bros. Asian elephants perform in the show for the last time.
Alana Feld produces the 146th edition of Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Presents Out Of This World®, a production that seamlessly transitions from floor to air to ice, a feat never before accomplished in the history of The Greatest Show On Earth.
Kristen Michelle Wilson joins Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey as the first female Ringmaster of The Greatest Show On Earth.
On January 14, Feld Entertainment announces that Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey will hold its final performances in May 2017.
Final performance of Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey® in Uniondale, NY.