We hardly give it a second thought as you can find a Ferris Wheel in every amusement park and county fair. Much more tame than the other attractions and often dismissed by teens looking for thrill rides. But it was a sensation when it was first opened to the public 131 years ago on this date in 1893 at the Chicago Worlds Fair. That version was much more grand than the open bucket seats we associate with traveling amusement shows.

That scale has been revived in cities around the world, most notably the London Eye.

And like the London Eye spectators rode in proper carriages that were enclosed capsules, like this one…

The invention came about when the promoters of the 1893 Chicago Worlds Fair challenged American engineers to “out-Eiffel Eiffel himself.” Gustave Eiffel was a French Engineer who built his famous Tower the center piece of the 1889 Paris Exhibition and the envy of every World’s Fair to follow. The story of how engineer George Washington Gale Ferris Jr. was inspired and designed his eponymous Wheel is told in the early Erik Larson book “The Devil in the White City.” Like his other works this history account is told in a breezy, personable and accessible style. If you haven’t yet read it, I highly recommend it for some fascinating true historical accounts. Good for a summer read. Maybe while riding a Ferris Wheel!