Ferris Wheel at Carrot Carnival 2011
The original Ferris Wheel opened to the public on June 21, 1893, at the World's Columbian Exposition in Chicago, Illinois.
Intended to rival the 1,060 feet tall Eiffel Tower, the centerpiece of the 1889 Paris Exposition, it was the Columbian
Exposition's largest attraction, with a height of 264 feet. The original Chicago Ferris Wheel, built for the 1893 World's
Columbian Exposition.
It was designed and constructed by George Washington Gale Ferris, Jr., Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, bridge-builder. He began his career in the railroad industry and then pursued an interest in bridge building. Ferris understood the growing need for structural steel and founded G.W.G. Ferris & Co. in Pittsburgh, a firm that tested and inspected metals for railroads and bridge builders. Read more information about the Ferris Wheel.