Each and every trend in how we spend our leisure time has its origins in the circus. Its history is inherently linked with this and every newspaper: It spent more on advertising than any other entity in the 19th century, and, when the circus was in town, the coverage in the Chicago Tribune filled page after page after page. The circus was the first to plaster posters round town. It was ground zero of the publicity stunt. It taught Hollywood how to sell itself, even at its own expense. And it invented live entertainment for the masses: The Ringling Bros. tent seated 16,000 people. Its traveling company at its peak numbered more than 1,100 employees.