I am really afraid of clowns even though our modern clowns have been around since the 19th century.
I don't blame you!  Clowns are creepy!  Hence the movie "IT".  Why do people have such a fear of them though?
My fear is definitely from IT. Even though clowns are designed to entertain large audience
Where did clowns get there start?  Was it the circus?
Not sure but they go back to at least the 1800s when Joseph Grimaldi became the first mainstream clown