Circus Arts

Tiny but mighty, fleas are capable of some pretty amazing feats. How is insectoid strength harnessed for human entertainment?

By Nathan Chandler

Born to be a showman, P.T. Barnum overcame a number of obstacles (including numerous fires, the loss of several fortunes and one dead elephant) in order to make a buck. Who was this man who was so determined to create the greatest show on Earth?

By Jane McGrath

You've probably seen these women gracefully performing pirouettes or juggling acts in the air — all while suspended by their hair. Does it hurt? And what conditioner do they use?

By Dave Roos

For some, being a circus performer is a job; for others, it is a way of life. Many circus families stretch back seven or eight generations. Who are some of the most storied circus families still under the big top today?

By Melanie Radzicki McManus

They bend, they twist, they fold themselves into all sorts of strange and unnatural positions. How do contortionists become human pretzels?

By Chris Opfer

Watch the ball roll along his arm, around his back, down the other arm and under his palm. You've just seen contact juggling, an ancient practice where the ball stays in constant contact with your body. What's behind its newfound popularity?

By Melanie Radzicki McManus

Whether we love them or hate them, clowns aren't a rare sight. But have you ever thought about how much people can earn when they run off with the circus? Learn that and more about the serious business of clowning.

By Oisin Curran

From the Two-headed Nightingale to the Baboon Lady, these 10 female sideshow freaks sure knew how to put on a show. But what were their real stories?

By Cristen Conger

A performer slides into a massive cannon barrel and is shot high into the air. She lands safely in a net some distance away, and the crowd goes wild. Who are human cannonballs, and who came up with shooting people out of cannons in the first place?

By Nathan Chandler

Lion tamers have a habit of putting their heads inside lions' mouths, which are made to crush the spines of bulls. So you can imagine what those jaws could do to a person's skull.

By Debra Ronca

Some mornings it seems to take superhuman strength just to haul yourself out of bed. So how did adrenaline help these folks bench-press a Camaro or fight off a polar bear with their bare hands?

By Josh Clark

The human blockhead act involves a performer hammering a nail into their nostril. Learn about the human blockhead and how the human blockhead avoids injury.

By Tracy V. Wilson

Sword swallowing is an extremely dangerous trick that doesn't involve illusions. How can it be real? We'll show you — with explanations and diagrams of the interactions between swords and the upper GI tract. Just don't try this at home!

By Tracy V. Wilson

In circuses, sideshows and other venues, lying on a bed of nails is an expression of a performer's stamina, bravery and imperviousness to pain. In reality, it's a matter of pressure transference and has been practiced for years around the world.

By Tracy V. Wilson

A magician or street performer walking barefooted across broken glass is a dramatic spectacle. Find out how people can walk across glass without hurting themselves.

By Tracy V. Wilson

Fire breathing is one of the most dangerous performance arts out there. To get an inside look at how fire breathing works, HowStuffWorks interviewed two fire breathers, including Mike Garner -- a juggler and vaudevillian performer who started breathing fire in 1993.

By Tracy V. Wilson

Ever seen anyone putting on a show of walking barefoot across a bed of hot coals. Are they for real, or is it a trick? They are, in fact, walking barefoot on red-hot, glowing coals. Find out how it's done.

By Marshall Brain

You've seen people pull huge buses or trains with their teeth and other parts of their bodies. How do they do that?