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You are here: Home / Language / How did the Ferris Wheel get its name and Where does the term Ferris Wheel come from?

How did the Ferris Wheel get its name and Where does the term Ferris Wheel come from?

July 12, 2020 by Karen Hill

The Ferris Wheel was first seen at the Columbian Exposition held in Chicago in 1893, the “World’s Fair,” and was the greatest attraction of all the amusements then offered.

No doubt larger ones have since been built, but this first one, rotating between two pyramids, was a framework of steel, 250 feet in diameter, and carried 36 cars, each capable of holding 40 passengers.

It was designed by and named for George Washington Gale Ferris (1859-96), an engineer of Galesburg, Illinois.

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Filed Under: Language

About Karen Hill

Karen Hill is a freelance writer, editor, and columnist. Born in New York, her work has appeared in the Examiner, Yahoo News, Buzzfeed, among others.

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