The history of Ferris wheels: What goes around comes around (2024)

Sunday Morning

By Roxana Saberi

/ CBS News

For many, summer fun means thrill rides rule that soar, swirl, and defy gravity. But if you need a break from holding your breath, there's one attraction that lets you catch it: The Ferris wheel, a slow-moving salvation from all that speed.

Ferris wheels have been turning for more than 130 years, the first one constructed for the 1893 World's Columbian Exposition in Chicago, designed by George Washington Gale Ferris.

Paul Durica, director of exhibitions at the Chicago History Museum, notes that Ferris was an up-and-coming engineer in the early 1890s, when an announcement went out from the World's Fair organizers seeking a large-scale attraction, one that would top the pièce de resistance at the previous World's Fair in Paris, the Eiffel Tower. "What a lot of people were responding with were designs that were very similar: We'll just build a bigger tower than the Eiffel Tower," Durica said. "But it was George Washington Gale Ferris who had the idea to make something on a similar scale but allow it to move."

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Legend has it he was inspired watching a water wheel turn. "He believed all along in the science, in the engineering, and he knew that it could work, even though it hadn't been done," Durica said.

Built in less than six months, his wheel opened to the public in June 1893. The steel structure was massive, climbing 264 feet, with 36 cars, each carrying 60 passengers. At the time, it was the tallest object in Chicago.

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"It was an experience unlike people had ever really had before," Durica said. "You really sort of lose yourself in the experience as the world below you faded away and then suddenly came back into view, faded away again…"

It's a sensation that endures to this day, with Ferris wheels (or observation wheels)spinning worldwide, in London, Las Vegas, and in Dubai, where one rises more than 800 feet.

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"Sunday Morning" paid a visit to the 300-foot-tall Dream Wheel in New Jersey. "The original Ferris wheel was steam-driven; we are 100 percent electronic. No steam, no hydraulics, just all electronics," said David Moore, the general operations manager.

Saberi asked, "What makes a wheel so enticing to engineers like yourself?"

"The size, the movement, and it's a pure work of art in the sky, spinning, with people on it enjoying themselves," Moore said.

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Professor and author Caron Levis captures the whimsy of a Ferris wheel in her children's book, "Stop That Yawn." Saberi met her at the famed Wonder Wheel at Coney Island, which has been running since 1920.

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"We're just naturally drawn to it, both as just people, but also writers and artists," Levis said.

The wheel has its place in popular culture, from the romantic in "The Notebook," to the menacing, with Orson Welles in "The Third Man."

As for the original, Paul Durica said it came to a halt soon after the Chicago World's Fair ended, when it was demolished. "Nobody wants it, so they decide basically to dynamite it. And that's the sad end of the original Ferris wheel," he said.

Out of over a hundred thousand parts, a bolt is one of the few pieces that remains. Where the original Ferris wheel stood, today an ice rink is in its place.

What Ferris built also broke him. He went bankrupt, got typhoid fever, and died at age 37, in 1896.

But all these years later, his invention keeps spinning, bringing a smile to Tom, Ron and Cougar Peck – Ferris' great-great-great-great-nephews.

They took a ride with us on the Centennial Wheel in Chicago. Saberi asked, "When you see all the kids getting off of this wheel, and other wheels, how does that make you feel?"

"Very proud," Tom replied. "The tradition's carrying on."

And what would George Ferris think of all the wheels around the world today? According to Durica, "George Ferris would not be surprised at all about the popularity of his invention. He knew it would work. He would probably say, if he surveyed the world and looked at things like the Wonder Wheel at Coney Island, the London Eye, 'See, I told you so. This is a great attraction!'"

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GALLERY:Early photos of amusem*nt parks


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Story produced by Gabriel Falcon. Editor: Joseph Frandino.

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The history of Ferris wheels: What goes around comes around (2024)

FAQs

What was the original purpose of the Ferris wheel? ›

The original Ferris Wheel

It was intended to rival the 324-metre (1,063 ft) Eiffel Tower, the centerpiece of the 1889 Paris Exposition. Ferris was a graduate of Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute and a Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, bridge-builder.

What happened to the original Ferris wheel? ›

Following the closure of the Expo, the "Ferris" wheel was dismantled and moved to North Clark Street, Chicago and eventually to St Louis Missouri in time for the 1904 Louisiana Purchase Exposition. On 11 May 1906 it was finally demolished using a 200 lb dynamite charge and sold for scrap.

What does a Ferris wheel rotate around? ›

An axis is the straight line around which rotation takes place. located within the body of the object—the motion is called rotation. called revolution. The Ferris wheel turns about an axis.

What are some interesting facts about the Ferris wheel? ›

Fun Facts about the Ferris wheel and its inventor:

Ferris' goal was to rival the Eiffel Tower, which had originally been built as the entrance arch to the 1889 World's Fair held in Paris. The Ferris wheel was originally called the “observation wheel.” It was meant to provide a bird's eye view of the entire city.

Who was the first person to ride a Ferris wheel? ›

One of the riders on the Observational Roundabout was a man named George Washington Gale Ferris Jr. Originally from Illinois, Ferris graduated in 1881 from the Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute in Troy, New York, as a civil engineer. By 1893, he had created a company in Pittsburgh, Penn., called G.W.G.

What is the history of the wheel? ›

The wheel was invented in the 4th millennium BC in Lower Mesopotamia(modern-​​day Iraq), where the Sumerian people inserted rotating axles into solid discs of wood. It was only in 2000 BC that the discs began to be hollowed out to make a lighter wheel. This innovation led to major advances in two main areas.

What is a nickname for the Ferris wheel? ›

giant wheel. observation wheel. “The Ferris Wheel at the amusem*nt park provided breathtaking aerial views of the entire city.”

Who invented the Ferris wheel and why? ›

(February 14, 1859 – November 22, 1896) was an American civil engineer. He is mostly known for creating the original Ferris Wheel for the 1893 Chicago World's Columbian Exposition.

What did the first Ferris wheel look like? ›

Ferris' wheel was 264 feet high and powered by two 1,000-horsepower engines that Ferris also designed and built. The wheel held 36 cars, each the size of a train car and the attraction was able to hold a total of 2,160 passengers at a time.

What are some facts about the Ferris wheel for kids? ›

Ferris wheel facts for kids
  • The original Ferris Wheel was designed and constructed by George Washington Gale Ferris Jr. ...
  • Since the original 1893 Chicago Ferris wheel there have been nine world's tallest-ever Ferris wheels.
Oct 16, 2023

How tall was the first Ferris wheel? ›

In 1893, Ferris completed the attraction and the Ferris wheel was born. Soaring to a height of 264 feet, the original Ferris wheel offered fairgoers a 10- to 20-minute ride unlike anything they'd experienced before. For many, the Ferris wheel took them as high up as they'd ever been—and the views did not disappoint.

What are the disadvantages of a Ferris wheel? ›

Other do not like the motion of going up to a high place, or coming down from it. Others may be afraid that the Ferris Wheel may collapse or break down while they are on it. Even more, some people get dizzy from riding anything that goes around and around, either vertically, or horizontally.

How many times do Ferris wheels go around? ›

Approximately how long is the ride?” you go around roughly 3 times, without including loading and unloading.

What is the most famous Ferris wheel in the world? ›

If you're not wary of heights, then Ferris wheels might entice you because of the bird's eye views they offer. With 3 million annual visitors, the London Eye is the United Kingdom's most popular paid tourist attraction and perhaps the world's most famous Ferris wheel.

What were the facts about the first Ferris wheel? ›

There were 36 passenger cars, each fitted with 40 revolving chairs and able to accommodate up to 60 people, giving a total capacity of 2,160. On June 9, 1893, the wheel was primed for a test run with great anticipation and a good deal of anxiety.

When was the Ferris wheel first used? ›

The world's first Ferris wheel was invented for Chicago's Columbian Exposition of 1893. Students will explore the creative inspiration behind the wheel, the collaborative process of fabricating the wheel, and the features of riding on the wheel.

How many people did the original Ferris wheel hold? ›

Ferris' wheel was 264 feet high and powered by two 1,000-horsepower engines that Ferris also designed and built. The wheel held 36 cars, each the size of a train car and the attraction was able to hold a total of 2,160 passengers at a time.

Was The London Eye The First big wheel? ›

Did you know it wasn't London's first big wheel? The Great Wheel, a 40-car Ferris wheel built for the Empire of India Exhibition was located at Earls Court. This wheel was modelled on the original Ferris Wheel from Chicago and opened to the public on the 17th July 1895.

What did Ferris invent? ›

The man who invented the Ferris Wheel for the Chicago World Columbian Exposition in 1893 grew up in Carson City. Ferris arrived in Nevada in 1864 at the age of five.

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