a ferris wheel serves as a reminder of peaceful times in beirut the city has 8a1615 1600A staple at any carnival or fair is the Ferris wheel, but did you know that the Ferris wheel is over 120 years old?

The Ferris wheel was first invented by George Washington Gale Ferris, Jr., a bridge and tunnel engineer. He built it as an exhibit for the 1893 World's Columbian Exposition in Chicago for an estimated cost of $385,000. The wheel stood 264 ft. tall, 250 ft. in diameter, and 790 ft. in circumference. It weighed 2.8 million pounds. There were 36 gondolas, which could hold a combined 40 people with a 50 cent admission price. Passengers could see for 50 miles from the very top, and the full ride took approximately 20 minutes.

Once the expo wrapped up, the Ferris wheel was taken down and moved to North Clark Street before being moved to St Louis, Missouri for the 1904 Louisiana Purchase Exposition. The wheel was eventually demolished in 1906, but parts of it were used to make the USS Illinois during World War I. To this day, the legacy of the Ferris wheel lives on at various carnivals and fairs.

For more information on the history of the ferris wheel, click here and here.