The Toronto Circus Riot: A True Tale of Sex, Violence, Corruption, and Clowns
The strangest riot in Toronto history broke out in the summer of 1855, sparked by a brawl at a King Street brothel. When some rowdy clowns picked a fight with a battle-hardened crew of firefighters, they would quickly learn they’d made a terrible mistake. The circus performers found themselves facing off against Toronto’s powerful Orange Order in a bloody clash that revealed the fault lines that once violently divided the city.
Biography: Adam Bunch is the author of The Toronto Book of the Dead and The Toronto Book of Love, the host of the Canadiana documentary series, and the creator of the Toronto History Weekly newsletter, the Festival of Bizarre Toronto History, and the Toronto Dreams Project. He teaches at George Brown College and his work popularizing Canadian history was recognized with the Governor General’s History Award for Popular Media — the Pierre Berton Award.