Wilhelm "William" Philadelphia , circus elephant trainer in Germany Born 1854 in Germany dead 1921-04-28 in Germany , son of animal trainer Alexander Philadelphia and wife Josepha Philadelphia . 1892: Two of Wilhelm Hagenbeck's early key collaborators were the aforementioned Julius Seeth, and Wilhelm Philadelphia (1854-1921), Carl Krone Junior's uncle. While in Hamburg, Carl Krone Junior entered in contact with them, and learned about Hagenbeck’s last sensational creation: The riding lion. Philadelpia and Seeth had trained a young lion to ride a horse around the ring. This attraction, documented for the first time in 1889 when it appeared at Paris' Hippodrome de l'Alma, was probably the principal reason for one of circus history's major technical innovations: the circular cage made of removable panels, developed by the Hagenbecks. The riding lion became all the rage in the industry: In a few years, Wilhelm Hagenbeck was able to deliver twelve different versions of the act in Europe, U.S.A. and Australia. 1921-04-28: Rosa, the cow elephant on Circus Sarrasani, crushed the trainer Wilhelm Philadelphia to death on the wall of her box at the Sarrasani Circus in Berlin, 1921.
Wilhelm Philadelphia Born: 1854
Father:Friedrich PhiladelphiaBorn: 1811
Mother:Josepha PhiladelphiaBorn: