CULTURE WATCH : Ferris Wheel Took 1st Spin in Chicago

The World’s Columbian Exposition opened in Chicago in 1893 to commemorate the 400th anniversary of Columbus’ first voyage to the Americas. OK, so the anniversary had actually passed in 1892 and it was really just an excuse. Chicago wanted to show off its rebirth after the Great Fire of 1871.

A century ago Chicago was second only to New York in population, and 1.1 million Chicagoans already held a reputation for doing things in a big way. The exposition grounds sprawled over more than a square mile; 150 exhibit buildings flanked lagoons and canals spanned by bridges. Perhaps the best example of “big” was the world’s first--and still America’s largest ever--Ferris wheel. George W. Ferris, a mechanical engineer, designed and directed construction of a gigantic steel wheel that swung 36 passenger gondolas and up to 2,160 people. It was a state-of-the-art “thrill ride” for the 1890s.

At the top of the arc the riders were 260 feet above ground. (For comparison, the Matterhorn at Disneyland is just 147 feet high and Colossus, Magic Mountain’s premier roller coaster features a big drop of only 115 feet.) The Ferris wheel was relocated to St. Louis in 1904 for the centennial of the Lewis and Clark expedition.