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Ferris wheels are much bigger and elaborate today than the first one debuted at the Chicago World’s Fair in 1893. They are popular around the world.
Have you ever flown in an airplane? It’s exhilarating to look out the window and down on the clouds! Air travel is a recent invention. Ten years before the Wright brothers took the first flight, visitors to the Chicago World’s Fair soared into the air on the very first ferris wheel!
How did this thrilling, spinning, metal ride come into being? The idea came out of a little healthy competition. World’s Fairs are a really big deal! They are huge exhibits of the latest inventions, and people from around the world come to see them. Inventions that were first introduced to the world at a World’s Fair are the: escalator, ice cream cone, dishwasher, touchscreen, zipper and television.
In 1889 Paris, France hosted the World’s Fair and unveiled Eiffel’s famous tower. Organizers of the Chicago World’s Fair were desperate for ideas to outshine the Eiffel Tower. George Washington Gale Ferris Jr. brought them a brilliant idea. Ferris was a structural engineer and inspected steel. He proposed creating a giant wheel made out of steel. The invention was named after him.
Visitors to the World’s Fair in Chicago in 1893 eagerly waited for their turn to climb into the seats and soar into the air on ferris’ wheel. As the wheel lifted them into the air they had a view unlike any few had ever seen. Remember, there were no airplanes, and so rising high above the land was an incredible—and for some terrifying—experience.
Soaring high above the Earth is a faith-exercising experience! Seeing God’s creation spread out below reminds us of how vast and beautiful it is. Do ferris wheels and heights make your stomach flip flop with anxiety? That’s a good reminder to pray—God will carry you through life’s challenges.
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Ferris wheels are much bigger and elaborate today than the first one debuted at the Chicago World’s Fair in 1893. They are popular around the world. Click on the button to watch them in action!
