"A great American institution  -- the circus under the canvas tent -- passed away early today into history and folklore,“

Post-Gazette reporter Alvin Rosensweet wrote on July 17, 1956. Halfway through a summer season marked by terrible

weather, transportation breakdowns and union woes, John Ringling North, board chairman, pronounced the ”death sentence“

for outdoor performances of the Ringling Brothers, Barnum & Bailey Circus. ”The tented circus as it now exists is in my

opinion a thing of the past,“ North said in a statement that appeared in the July 16 edition of The Pittsburgh Press.

The circus would close immediately and move next spring into what he called ”mechanically controlled“ exhibition spaces.

He was referring to indoor arenas like Madison Square Garden in New York City. North‘‍s surprise decision left almost

800 workers without jobs. Their severance was eight days’‍ pay and transportation back to the circus‘‍s winter.