Vintage Dayton: Aug. 15, 2025

The Antonio & Wilder’s Great World Circus announced itself as the “Star Show of the United States” in an ad before its 1859 appearance in Dayton. Circuses have been selling themselves hard since.

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For this edition of Vintage Dayton, we went into the archives for stories and photos of the wacky, fun and entertaining circus visits here through the years.

More on Dayton entertainment history

• 7 lesser-known Dayton history events the Dayton Daily News was there to cover

• The Classic Theater: A forerunner in Dayton’s Black entertainment scene from 1927 to the 1950s

• Remembering Dayton’s ‘Rising Generation,’ the Channel 7 talent show that helped launch Martin Sheen’s career

Did you know?

Here are a few great Dayton history facts we’ve learned from our stories:

• Exotic Demoiselle cranes, toucans, swans and peacocks once roamed outdoors among the statuary and swam in a pool at the Dayton Art Institute.

• Charles Kettering changed the world with United States patent No. 1,150,523 issued on Aug. 17, 1915.

• A Scottish immigrant who moved to Dayton in 1874 saw a need for educating factory workers and founded what many years later became known Sinclair Community College.

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Thank you for reading.