Flea Circuses

Even if they are aware of what they are, flea circuses are very much a thing of the past, and very few people today are likely to have ever seen one. The name isn't a joke; the concept was that fleas were herded together and made to perform skills in a little circus.

Contrary to popular belief, the idea has been around since the 1500s. Flea circuses were primarily utilized by watchmakers, who were recognized for their abilities to create intricate yet tiny metal components and gears, as a marketing technique. According to one legend, a watchmaker constructed a tiny gold chain and wrapped it around a flea to make it pull a little chariot.

There were certain flea circuses that weren't just tricks run by tiny gears and magnets. Louis Bertolotto supposedly dressed over 400 fleas in military to recreate Napoleon's Battle of Waterloo in the 1800s. The Oktoberfest in Munich features a real flea circus.

Of course, fleas cannot be taught true tricks, but they are predictable and controllable. At least 50 times their own height can be jumped. According to one source, they are as strong as a person pulling two elephants. For these reasons, even though the fleas themselves were virtually invisible from a distance, they can jump and move objects that a crowd could see with the unaided eye if you can hold them in check.