Throughout spring, summer, and fall months, you can experience the joys of modern day carnivals. You can experience everything from rides, animals, food, and so much more. One of the prominent parts of a carnival is a Ferris wheel. Today, hundreds of Ferris wheels tower over cities and fairgrounds around the world. Today’s wheels are very different from the original wheel, which originated in Chicago during the World’s Fair of 1893.

George Washington Ferris Jr. was a civil engineer specializing in bridges and other structural-steel designs when Chicago announced a competition for a centerpiece for its 1893 World’s Columbian Exposition.  Ferris proposed building a 264-foot wheel with suspended carriages that could take 2,160 passengers at a time for a bird’s-eye view of the fairgrounds. Ferris was declared the contest winner — and his success would attach his name to all subsequent versions of the device, including the new Ferris wheel.  

In 1893, Ferris certainly gave Chicago what they were looking for. Ferris’ contraption rotated on a 71-ton, 45-foot axle that had, at the time, the world’s largest hollow forging.

Although the original wheel was not preserved, Ferris’ idea lives on at small town carnivals and at major landmark attractions across the globe. In addition, the Ferris wheel at Navy Pier shares a few similarities with the original: its gondolas are larger and enclosed and its height is closer to the original’s dazzling 264 feet. Get out, ride the wheel, and remember the history!