The Fringe began in 1947 when the Festival first started.
It was hoped the Festival would help re-unite Europe after the Second World War.
However, the official festival proved so popular that eight theatre companies turned up uninvited.
Determined to take part, the eight staged their productions away from the big theatres that were already fully booked, and so the Fringe began.
Since then the Fringe has grown and grown, so that now it is larger than the main Edinburgh International Festival.
In 2001 more than 600 groups from 49 different countries performed 1,462 shows in 175 venues across the city. Ticket sales reached a record £6,636,093.
How did it all get started?
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