{Ferris Wheel Research - 3 of 3}

Ferris Goes Bankrupt
Others Thrive In 1900, due to the lack of interest in the Ferris wheel, George W. Ferris was forced to sell his creation for $1800. He died bankrupt. However, another competitor named William Sullivan built a portable model of the wheel that could be moved in a matter of hours. This creation was built in Jacksonville, and a company called the Eli Bridge Company still thrives there, building many Ferris wheels today. Is THAT a Ferris Wheel?! Today, there are many variations on the first famous Ferris Wheel. One variation that was built back in 1915 by Joseph Strauss was called the Aeorscope. Strauss, the chief engineer of the Golden Gate Bridge, designed a wheel that lifted 118 people 200 feet above the Panama-Pacific Exposition, then turned them around on a panoramic base to give a full, panoramic view of San Francisco. The strange wheel had only one car, but it was as big as a two story house. In the early 1920s, Coney Island introduced its Wonder Wheel, which was 135 feet tall. Creative designing allowed 16 of the 24 cars to be mounted on tracks and move in and out with each full turn of the wheel. Another variation of the wheel that has become more popular is the Zipper, where cars can swing freely and turn upside down.

Ferris Wheel at Six Flags Theme Park, USA.

The Greatest Wheel Ever Built
In 1996, plans were made to build a 500 foot tall wheel beside the Thames River in London. This wheel would mark the turn of the century, as well as the journey into the new millenium. Creatively, a wheel was chosen because, as it turns, so we were turning into the new millennium, marking another rotation in history. This wheel, called the London Eye, has been in operation since the first week of the year 2000. It is a vast structure, taking 30 minutes to make one full rotation. Who knows how large the next wheel will be, or if there even will be another. It all depends on the public and how long people will pay money to be taken high into the sky on what is, essentially, a giant bicycle wheel.

INTERACTIVE TIME LINE

The following references were used in writing this article:
Anderson, Norman D. and Walter R. Brown. "Ferris Wheels." New York: Pantheon Books. 1983.

"Build." British Airways London Eye. 2000 [http://www.british-airways.com/londoneye/] (June 2000)

Petone, Christine and Mary Lynch. "Famous Ferris Wheels." The Ferris Wheel. [listed as sprg_98] [http://www.bryant.edu/~ history/ h364proj/sprg_98/lynch/ferris.htm] (June 2000)

Petone, Christine and Mary Lynch. "History." The Ferris Wheel. [listed as sprg_98] [http://www.bryant.edu/~history/ h364proj/sprg_98/lynch/ferris.htm] (June 2000)

Petone, Christine and Mary Lynch. "A Timeline-The History of the Ferris Wheel." The Ferris Wheel. [listed as sprg_98] http ://www.bryant.edu/~history/h364proj/sprg_98/lynch/ferris. htm (June 2000)

Schulman, Bruce R. "The Ferris Wheel." Interactive Guide to the World's Columbian Exposition. 1999 [http://users.vnet.net/ schulman/Columbian/ferris.html] (June 2000)

Photo Citations:
Souvineer Ticket (Ferris Research Page 1)- a souvineer ticket from going for a ride in the Ferris Wheel.

Axle picture (Ferris Research Page 2)- some of the men who helped create the 45 foot axle of the original Ferris Wheel, also pictured.

Ferris Wheel (Ferris Research Page 2)- a full view picture of the massive original Ferris Wheel.

Six Flags Ferris Wheel (Ferris Research Page 3)- The Colossus, Six Flags St. Louis's 18 story Ferris wheel.

Images of Six Flags rides from personal collection, Kyle Fritz, , June 2000.