Notable Number: The circus
1919 Year the Ringling Brothers and Barnum & Bailey Circus was formed
146 Number of years cited as the length of time the circus has been running in some form
60 Number of cars in each of two “circus trains” that transport the shows around the country
167 Number of people killed in 1944 in a circus fire in Hartford, Conn., one of the largest fire disasters in history
$15 Average price of a circus ticket during the final months of the circus
32 Number of years the late Gunther Gebel-Williams was the lion-taming star of Ringling Brothers and Barnum & Bailey Circus
12,000 Number of performances Gebel-Williams gave with the circus, never missing a show because of illness or injury
$40,000 to $70,000 Salary range for established circus performers such as acrobats
2015 The year Ringling Brothers and Barnum & Bailey retired elephants from shows, a result of protests from animal rights activists
1,400 Number of clowns graduated in the 30-year history of the Ringling Brothers and Barnum & Bailey Clown College
From CBS:
$200,000 Top salary range of a Cirque du Soleil clown, according to CBS
$90,000 Upper range for a Ringling Brothers clown
$15 Hourly rate for clowns at kids’ birthday parties
$50,000 Estimate of a rodeo clown’s salary
Notable numbers
A fond look back at Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey, which is closing.
1919 Year the Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus was formed
146 Number of years cited as the length of time the circus has been running in some form
60 Number of cars in each of two “circus trains” that transport the shows around the country
167 Number of people killed in 1944 in a circus fire in Hartford, Conn., one of the largest fire disasters in history
$15 Average price of a circus ticket during the final months of the circus
32 Number of years the late Gunther Gebel-Williams, above, was the lion-taming star of Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus
12,000 Number of performances Gebel-Williams gave with the circus, never missing a show because of illness or injury
$40,000 to $70,000 Salary range for established circus performers such as acrobats
2015 The year Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey retired elephants from shows, a result of protests from animal rights activists
1,400 Number of clowns graduated in the 30-year history of the Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Clown College
$200,000 Top salary range of a Cirque du Soleil clown, according to CBS
$90,000 Upper range for a Ringling Brothers clown
$15 Hourly rate for clowns at kids’ birthday parties
$50,000 Estimate of a rodeo clown’s salary
This story was originally published February 17, 2017 at 8:13 PM with the headline "Notable Number: The circus."