The Great Chicago Ferris Wheel - 1893
Copyright 2005 David R. Phillps

The story goes that a man by the name of
George Washington Gale Ferris designed
and built the "great wheel" for the Columbian
Exposition that opend May 1, 1893.

With a desire to compete with the 984 foot
Eiffel Tower at the Paris Exposition in 1889,
Daniel Burnham sought ideas and Ferris obliged.

The 32 year old Ferris was educated at the
California Military Academy and Rensseler
Polytechnic Institute, where he received an
engineering degree in 1881.

With that knowledge Ferris built a 140 foot tall
wheel with cars 24 feet long, 13 feet wide, and
10 feet high. Each weighed 26,000 pounds and
carried 60 passengers.

Read more about it by clicking here...
http://www.hydeparkhistory.org/newsletter.html