1866 160 years ago Notable Births May 31 2 sources

John Ringling, American entrepreneur; one of the founders of the Ringling Brothers Circus (died 1936)

On May 31, in the year 1866, John Ringling, American entrepreneur; one of the founders of the Ringling Brothers Circus (died 1936). This event is recorded as a Notable Births event in the history of May 31, one of 386 recorded events on this date across all of history.

1 notable person is associated with this event, including John Ringling. Learn more below.

John Nicholas Ringling was an American entrepreneur who is the best known of the seven Ringling brothers, five of whom merged the Barnum & Bailey Circus with their own Ringling Bros. World's Greatest Shows to create a virtual monopoly of traveling circuses and helped shape the modern circus. In addition to owning and managing many of the largest circuses in the United States, he was also a rancher, a real estate developer and art collector. He was inducted into the Florida Artists Hall of Fame in 1987.

Key Facts

  • This event took place on May 31, 1866 (AD era).
  • It is categorised as a Notable Births event in recorded history.
  • Referenced in 2 Wikipedia articles.
  • 1 notable person is recorded as involved in or associated with this event.
  • Wikipedia source last updated on 28 May 2026.

On This Date in History 386

Type Year Date Event
Notable Deaths 2025 May 31 Stanley Fischer, Israeli-American economist (born 1943)
Notable Deaths 2024 May 31 Robert Pickton, Canadian serial killer (born 1949)
Notable Deaths 2024 May 31 Marian Robinson, mother of Michelle Obama (born 1937)
Notable Deaths 2022 May 31 Colin Cantwell, American concept artist and director (born 1932)
Notable Deaths 2022 May 31 Krishnakumar Kunnath, Indian singer (born 1968)
Notable Deaths 2022 May 31 Gilberto Rodríguez Orejuela, Colombian drug lord (born 1939)
Notable Deaths 2022 May 31 Jim Parks, English cricketer (born 1931)
Historical Events 2019 May 31 A shooting occurs inside a municipal building at Virginia Beach, Virginia, leaving 13 people dead, including the shooter
Selected Events 2019 May 31 A shooting at a municipal building in Virginia Beach, United States, left 13 people dead, including the gunman, and inju
Historical Events 2017 May 31 A car bomb explodes in a crowded intersection in Kabul near the German embassy during rush hour, killing over 90 and inj
Selected Events 2017 May 31 A car bomb exploded near the German embassy in Kabul, Afghanistan, killing more than 90 people and injuring 463 others
Historical Events 2016 May 31 Syrian civil war: The Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) launch the Manbij offensive, in order to capture the city of Manbij
Notable Deaths 2016 May 31 Mohamed Abdelaziz, President of the Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic (1976–2016) (born 1947)
Notable Deaths 2016 May 31 Jan Crouch, American televangelist, co-founder of the Trinity Broadcasting Network (born 1938)
Notable Deaths 2016 May 31 Carla Lane, English television writer (born 1928)
Notable Deaths 2016 May 31 Rupert Neudeck, German journalist and humanitarian (born 1939)
Notable Deaths 2015 May 31 Gladys Taylor, Canadian author and publisher (born 1917)
Notable Deaths 2014 May 31 Marilyn Beck, American journalist (born 1928)
Notable Deaths 2014 May 31 Marinho Chagas, Brazilian footballer and coach (born 1952)
Notable Deaths 2014 May 31 Hoss Ellington, American race car driver (born 1935)
Notable Deaths 2014 May 31 Martha Hyer, American actress (born 1924)
Notable Deaths 2014 May 31 Lewis Katz, American businessman and philanthropist (born 1942)
Notable Deaths 2014 May 31 Mary Soames, Baroness Soames, English author (born 1922)
Historical Events 2013 May 31 The asteroid 1998 QE2 and its moon make their closest approach to Earth for the next two centuries
Historical Events 2013 May 31 A record breaking 2
Notable Deaths 2013 May 31 Gerald E
Notable Deaths 2013 May 31 Frederic Lindsay, Scottish author and educator (born 1933)
Notable Deaths 2013 May 31 Miguel Méndez, American author and poet (born 1930)
Notable Deaths 2013 May 31 Tim Samaras, American engineer and storm chaser (born 1957)
Notable Deaths 2013 May 31 Jairo Mora Sandoval, Costa Rican environmentalist (born 1987)
Notable Deaths 2013 May 31 Jean Stapleton, American actress (born 1923)
Selected Events 2013 May 31 An extremely large, powerful, and erratic tornado struck Central Oklahoma, killing eight people and injuring more than 1
Notable Deaths 2012 May 31 Christopher Challis, English cinematographer (born 1919)
Notable Deaths 2012 May 31 Randall B
Notable Deaths 2012 May 31 Paul Pietsch, German race car driver and publisher (born 1911)
Notable Deaths 2012 May 31 Orlando Woolridge, American basketball player and coach (born 1959)
Notable Deaths 2011 May 31 Pauline Betz, American tennis player (born 1919)
Notable Deaths 2011 May 31 Jonas Bevacqua, American fashion designer, co-founded the Lifted Research Group (born 1977)
Notable Deaths 2011 May 31 Derek Hodge, Virgin Islander lawyer and politician, Lieutenant Governor of the United States Virgin Islands (born 1941)
Notable Deaths 2011 May 31 Hans Keilson, German-Dutch psychoanalyst and author (born 1909)
Notable Deaths 2011 May 31 John Martin, English admiral and politician, Lieutenant Governor of Guernsey (born 1918)
Notable Deaths 2011 May 31 Andy Robustelli, American football player and manager (born 1925)
Historical Events 2010 May 31 Israeli Shayetet 13 commandos boarded the Gaza Freedom Flotilla while still in international waters trying to break the
Notable Deaths 2010 May 31 Louise Bourgeois, French-American sculptor and painter (born 1911)
Notable Deaths 2010 May 31 Brian Duffy, English photographer and producer (born 1933)
Notable Deaths 2010 May 31 William A
Notable Deaths 2010 May 31 Rubén Juárez, Argentinian singer-songwriter and bandoneón player (born 1947)
Notable Deaths 2010 May 31 Merata Mita, New Zealand director, producer, and screenwriter (born 1942)
Notable Deaths 2009 May 31 Danny La Rue, Irish-British drag queen performer and singer (born 1927)
Notable Deaths 2009 May 31 George Tiller, American physician (born 1941)

This article draws on content from Wikipedia, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.

People Involved

John Ringling

American entrepreneur (1866–1936)

birth

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