Chris Bliss facts for kids

Chris Bliss is an American performer. He is known for his amazing juggling skills and his funny stand-up comedy. Many people know him from a video where he juggles to popular songs by The Beatles.

Starting Out as a Juggler

Chris Bliss grew up in Washington, D.C.. He studied literature at Northwestern University and the University of Oregon. But he decided to leave college to become a professional juggler.

Chris did not want to be a traditional circus juggler. Instead, he mixed popular music with fast, planned juggling moves. While some jugglers try to juggle many objects, Chris chose to use only three balls. His simple style and choice of music made him very popular. He even opened for The Jacksons on their 1984 Victory Tour.

After this success, Chris started adding stand-up comedy to his act. Now, his shows include both comedy and juggling.

Becoming a Viral Sensation

In 2006, Chris Bliss became very famous online. A video of his juggling finale became a viral internet hit. A "viral video" is one that spreads very quickly across the internet.

The five-minute video shows Chris juggling three balls with lots of energy. He performs to the Beatles songs "Golden Slumbers", "Carry That Weight", and "The End". Within 40 days, the video was watched about 20 million times. Today, it has been viewed over 80 million times!

This video caused a lot of excitement in the juggling world. Chris was even a guest on Penn Jillette's radio show. Penn Jillette is also a juggler and is connected to the World Juggling Federation.

Later, the UK musician Fatboy Slim held an online contest. He asked fans to send in juggling videos for his song "That Old Pair of Jeans". The contest asked, "Can you Juggle to music like Chris Bliss?" It even showed a video of Chris juggling to the song.

Helping People Learn About Their Rights

Besides his performing career, Chris Bliss also started a group called MyBillofRights.org. This is a nonprofit organization. It was created in 2006.

The group's main goal is to put up monuments and displays of the United States Bill of Rights. These displays are placed in public spaces across America. The Bill of Rights lists important freedoms for people in the U.S.

Their first display was put up in Montezuma, Iowa, on July 5, 2008. A monument for the Arizona State Capitol in Phoenix has also been approved. It is now being designed. A design for the Bill of Rights Plaza in Austin, Texas, has also been approved for fundraising. The organization gets money from donations from individuals. It has also received support from the Newman's Own Foundation.