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Pleasure
Wheels in Bulgaria
The first wheels that people rode on started in Bulgaria
in the 1600s. These "pleasure wheels," as they were called, began to move
to the west. A man named Antonio Maguino brought the wheel to America
from France in the spring of 1848. There were no real amusement parks
at the time, only parks for recreation. To attract people to his park
in Walton Spring, Georgia, Maguino built a wooden pleasure wheel. As riders
sat in wooden packing crates, two strong men hand cranked the wheel by
their own power. Soon, the ride became popular and a man named Charles
W. P. Dare began to manufacture pleasure wheels. Most of his 20 to 35
foot models ranged in cost from $400 to $600. As time went on, the wheels
were made out of metal, used steam power, and were made to hold 50 people.
Most had a diameter of 50 feet.
America vs. the Eiffel Tower
The Ferris Wheel was born during the planning for the Chicago
Fair, a part of the Columbian Expedition in 1893. The Columbian Expedition
was a large celebration to mark the 400 year anniversary of Christopher
Columbus sailing to America. Fourteen years earlier, in 1879, Paris held
an exposition, where the Eiffel Tower was built. Seeing the 984 foot structure
and its popularity, America began a battle to tear away attention from
Paris to them. It was at that time that plans for the first Ferris Wheel
began.
George
Washington Gale Who?
George Washington Gale Ferris was a bridge builder in Pittsburgh,
Pennsylvania. A new material had just been introduced into the bridge
building business. Seeing an opportunity for a new business with this
steel, Ferris formed the G.W.G. Ferris & Co. This new company inspected
shipwork and mills. All this experience with inspecting, testing, and
erecting different steel structures would help Ferris to create his famous
wheel in 1893.
Ferris, George
Washington Gale
George
W. Ferris to the Rescue!
When George Ferris proposed the building of a giant wheel for the Chicago
Fair, some were thrilled, some were doubtful, and others didn't know what
to think. Because of all the mixed reactions, the building of the wheel
wasn't approved until December 16, 1892. Since the fair was supposed to
open to the public on May 1, 1893, Ferris had a problem. He had to raise
$355,000 and find, fashion, and assemble 2,100 tons of steel and other
material in just under four and a half months. Could George Ferris face
the challenge and accomplish his task in time?