Moments in Time

The History Channel
• On Jan. 9, 1768,

Englishman Philip Astley stages the first modern circus in London. Astley, a former cavalry sergeant major, found that if he galloped in a tight circle, centrifugal force allowed him to perform seemingly impossible feats on a horse’s back. He invited the public to see him wave his sword in the air while he rode with one foot on the saddle and one on the horse’s head.