A Revolving Attraction
As urbanization arises, the demand for new technology also occurs. That demand was not only met to increase technology for necessities, but it also increased technology for pleasure. It was George W. G. Ferris who incited this innovation. Inspired by the attraction of the Eiffel Tower, George W. G. Ferris wanted to complete an attraction that would surpass the Eiffel Tower, and in doing so, he created the first ever “Ferris Wheel,” which took place in Chicago, at the World’s Columbian Exposition. In its opening week, the Ferris Wheel attracted many guests which marked its success. After its successful opening, many other cities were imitating it because of its widespread attraction. Therefore, the advanced technology and idea of surpassing the Eiffel Tower in 1893 brought in more tourism to the city of Chicago.
Although the concept of a spinning wheel was already in use, the use of the wheel slowly progressed from work to pleasure; it was used to move water, and then, it was used as a ride where the riders moved in a horizontal circle (Anderson 7). Later, the wheel turned vertical, and it was in 1860 in France where the French pleasure wheel opened; man propelled this ride, which is almost the same as the Ferris wheel (Anderson 9). On June 21 of 1893, George G.W. Ferris unveiled his invention of the Ferris Wheel; however, there was more work preparing the Ferris Wheel than just simply unveiling it. Ferris was an engineer born in Galesburg, Illinois, who was contracted to create an impressive attraction for the Columbian Exposition (Anderson 16).
The Columbian Exposition became one of the largest fairs and exposition in the United States. Competing against the expositions recently held in France and Lon...
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...ecessary to help create the wheel. Before the wheel was constructed, George W.G. Ferris only managed to grab investors to take care of the $300,000 of the wheel (Anderson 16), which was not the full cost of the wheel. Ferris later claimed that the planners had cheated him through the deal with $750,000, and that he ended up losing money, even though he managed to gather about 2.5 million people total, to pay to ride his creation. Ferris was in $400,000 of debt (Meehan 6), and ended up passing away in 1896 from a typhoid fever, still having owed money to the planners who helped create the wheel to become as magnificent as the Eiffel Tower. Overall, the wheel was a good test run for a first time, but the details could have been planner more thoroughly. Therefore, although the Ferris Wheel became the technological marvel of its day, it brought disaster to it’s creator.
The Chicago World's Fair of 1893 changed America in enormous ways. Probably the most prominent being that it directly changed America's and the world's perception of America and our capabilities. Not only was it the first in America, but the Chicago World's Fair propelled America...
From first impression, Burnham found that Chicago had a murky factorial image lined with a “fantastic stink that lingered in the vicinity of Union Stock yards” (41). The dreadful surface that Chicago was maintaining allowed Burnham to be determined to collaborate and recreate its image. His efforts would also make a reputational comeback for America’s poor representation in the Exposition Universelle (15). One major feature that transformed public opinion of the state was to illuminate the entire fair with clean white buildings that outlined the goodness of the area (252). Eye-catching whiteness contradicted the presumed dirtiness of the town. Making a contradiction from what was assumed of the city would allow the fair to generate a much bigger transformation. The lights also gave the fair a unique, whimsical edge. “The lamps that laced every building and walkway produced the most elaborate demonstration of electric illumination ever attempted”, incorporating new technology in a grand-scale way merely to keep the theme of brightness ongoing throughout each day and night (254). Most importantly, it displayed the town’s potential to become a thriving and respected city. The theme of whiteness interlaced with the neoclassical outline in The World Fair’s de...
Although the Chicago World’s fair of 1893 only lasted 6 months, it had an enormous impact on the city of Chicago, its people, and indeed the entire country. Up until that point in its history, the US had done nothing on the scale of the world’s fair, and was regarded as a country of barbarians and cowboys by much of the world, especially Old Europe. The fair was a perfect way for the US to disprove this. In building the fair, they would be placed in direct competition with France, who had built a magnificent fair only a few years before. If Chicago could at least build a fair on par with the Paris fair, it would prove to the world that the US was a cultural, military and political force to be reckoned with. Because of the fair’s gigantic scale, it became a microcosm of the conflicts and the tenor of the times. In effect, the fair was the turning point between the old Victorian days and the modern era, technologically, culturally, politically, and in the hearts of the people of the US and the world.
Ferris, his wife and the Mayor were the first ones to ride the wheel. People visiting the fairs were kind of scared to go but at the end everyone went on. The wheel was 264 feet above the MIdway and had a circumference of 825 feet. The wheel weighed 2.6 million pounds, the ale itself weighing more than forty-six tons. The wheel thirty-six closed cars which could hold more than forty passengers each time. The ride lasted twenty minutes and fifty cents at the time. Even people who couldn't afford to go on the ride watched it carefully as it went around. The Ferris Wheel was powered by two house 1,000-horsepower steam engines and it was light with more than 3000 light bulbs. The wheel was safe and it was center of attention at the fair that year. Until the fair lasted the wheel had more than a million passengers and it won the hearts of many people. This ferris wheel was the first example in technology that was “being harnessed purely as a pleasure machine, and it captured the imagination of a nation”(Adams-Volpe, 2002). During the Fair Ferris received a profit of approximately $750,000( approximately twenty million dollars today). Ferris got a lot of attention and fame for his design of the Ferris
At this time the United States was constructing massive amounts of railroad track that eventually grew to connect the entire country. The World’s Fair acted as a jumping off point for the creation of the railroad in some respects. For example, the powerful 999 steam train was presented at the World’s Fair. This train made fast train travel more accessible and ushered in the age of the locomotive. The quadricycle was another important invention that was present at the fair. The quadricycle was an extremely early iteration of an automobile. The quadricycle itself was not necessarily a huge step in history, but it was seen by the man who would go on to create the greatest advancement in automobile technology 20 years after the fair, Henry Ford. Henry Ford, of Ford Automobile fame, was inspired to create his revolutionary automobile design by the quadricycle. The quadricycle gave Ford an idea that changed the world, without the quadricycle Ford may not have gone into the auto industry and produced the first widely used automobiles. The quadricycle is indirectly responsible for one of the single most important inventions ever, the world would have been very different had the quadricycle not existed. The World’s Fair acted as a breeding ground for new ideas and inventions that went
In 1893 a world fair was held in Chicago Illinois to celebrate the 4thcentenniel of Columbus discovering the Americas. The exposition displayed grand buildings with beautiful architecture, hundreds of exhibits ranging from exotic tribes of Africa, to new inventions, expertly constructed landscape, and astounding attractions such as the first Ferris wheel. The fair lasted for six months and had over 27 million visitors, including ¼ of the American population.
The viewbook was compiled by the Architectural Commission for the fair, with the text by Allen D. Albert, an honorary secretary, and forward by Rufus C. Dawes, the president. The book, approximately nine by twelve inches, and consisting of 64 pages of vibrant images of the fair, depicts the major buildings, exhibits and attractions. These images are mostly watercolors, sometimes enhanced photographs or cartoons. Th...
The “White City” was a vast collection of architecture and arts that were put on display in the year 1893. The Chicago World Fair, also called the “White City”, was a major event in American history that impacted America’s culture, economic, and industry. The Chicago World Fair was held to honor Columbus’ discovery of the New World. The real reason why it was made was to proudly have back their wealth and power. Larson said, “the tower not only assured the eternal fame of its designer, Alexandre Gustave Eiffel but also offered graphic proof that France had edged out the United States for dominance in the realm of iron and steel…”(15). To accomplish this, architects led by Daniel Burnham and John Root made numerous buildings and beautiful scenery
image on Exposition souvenirs was ideal in light of the fair's theme - our nation's 150th
Findling, John E. Historical Dictionary of World's Fairs and Expositions 1851-1988. New York: Greenwood Press, 1990.
The bus that took us to the Theme Park was huge, with room for a
These planners supported free trade, thinking that if local business was exposed to foreign-made goods, they could incorporate those new ideas into their own goods, increasing their worth. Though originally intending to invite only neighboring countries to this exposition, the plan soon escalated to include the global environment. As organization and sponsorship was planned out, the matter of where to host such a large and ongoing event arose. Ideally, it was to take place in London, to sort of show off the best of the country and impress in-coming visitors. The problem was that London was already built up and filled in, and little open space remained for the needed time period. It was decided soon that a portio...
A roller coaster is a thrill ride found in amusement and theme parks. Their history dates back to the 16th century. It all started in Russia, with long, steep wooden slides covered in ice. The idea then traveled to France. Since the warmer climate melted the ice, waxed slides were created instead, eventually adding wheels to the system. The first roller coaster in which the train was attached to the track was in France in 1817, the Russess a Belleville. The first attempt at a loop-the loop was also made in France in the 1850s. It was called the Centrifuge Railway. However, government officials quickly diminished the idea when the first accident occurred. Inventors since then have continued to capitalize on people’s love of a great thrill, always trying to make them bigger, faster and scarier!
Chandler, Albert. (January 2000) "Culmination - The Paris Exposition Universelle 1900." http://charon.sfsu.edu/PARISEXPOSITIONS/1900EXPO.html (26 April, 2001). "Progress of the Preparations for the Exhibition of 1900." The American Architect and Building News. Vol 57. no. 1133 11 Sept 1897. 90-91.
I have always been fascinated by carnival rides. It amazes me that average, ordinary people eagerly trade in the serenity of the ground for the chance to be tossed through the air like vegetables in a food processor. It amazes me that at some time in history someone thought that people would enjoy this, and that person invented what must have been the first of these terrifying machines. For me, it is precisely the thrill and excitement of having survived the ride that keeps me coming back for more.