NPR

From The Big Top Into The Big World: A Ringling Ringmaster's Final Bow

Johnathan Lee Iverson, the first African-American ringmaster of "The Greatest Show on Earth," helms the famed Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus for its last performance this Sunday.
Iverson talks with his daughter, 8-year-old Lila Simone, in their home on the circus train. She and her brother, 12-year-old Matthew Felipe, have grown up in the circus and both now perform in the ring.

The Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus has been entertaining audiences for a long time. Its history goes back 146 years — to about the time when professional baseball emerged and before

You’re reading a preview, subscribe to read more.

More from NPR

NPR3 min readAmerican Government
A Michigan Grassroots Effort Is Raising Reparations, While The Government Lags
The year 2020 was a turning point for Lansing, Michigan resident Willye Bryan. Between the racial reckoning following the murder of George Floyd and the health disparities that hit the African American community during the pandemic, she knew it was t
NPR4 min read
The Announcement Of A New Prime Minister Divides Haiti's Transitional Council
A surprise announcement that revealed Haiti's new prime minister is threatening to fracture a recently installed transitional council tasked with choosing new leaders for the gang-riddled country.
NPR1 min readFinance & Money Management
Biden Forgives More Than $6 Billion In Loans For 317,000 Art Institutes Students
President Biden announced the relief for attendees of the now-shuttered art schools, saying they "falsified data, knowingly misled students, and cheated borrowers into taking on mountains of debt."

Related Books & Audiobooks