National Ferris Wheel Day 2023: Date, History, Fun Facts

National Ferris Wheel Day is annually observed on February 14. If you enjoy fun and adventure and are not afraid of heights, you probably have fond memories of riding on a Ferris wheel as a child. Ferris wheels are available in various sizes, are enjoyable to ride, and provide a breathtaking view from above. Did you know the ‘High Roller’ is the world’s largest Ferris wheel? The enormous wheel is located in Las Vegas and is 550 feet tall!

HISTORY OF NATIONAL FERRIS WHEEL DAY

National Ferris Wheel Day is observed annually on February 14, which is also Valentine’s Day. Although Valentine’s Day is more well-known, February 14 is also National Ferris Wheel Day. The inventor of the Ferris wheel, George Washington Gale Ferris Jr., was born on February 14.

Ferris, a civil engineer born in 1859 in Galesburg, Illinois, introduced the concept of the Ferris wheel to the world and designed the first Ferris wheel in Chicago. 1881 marked his graduation from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute in Troy, New York.

Ferris constructed his prototype as a landmark for the 1893 World’s Columbian Exposition in Chicago, serving as the Eiffel Tower of the United States. Initially referred to as “the Chicago Wheel,” it took Ferris two years to design and build. Costing approximately $700,000 in 1893 and containing over 100,000 parts, Ferris’ enormous wheel stood 264 feet tall and towered approximately 26 stories above Chicago. It had 36 gondolas (cars with glass and locked doors) and could accommodate up to 60 passengers (40 seated and 20 standing). Throughout the next 19 weeks of the World’s Columbian Exposition, over 1,400,000 individuals paid $0.50 for a 20-minute ride on the wheel.

In 1904, for the Louisiana Purchase Exposition, the Ferris wheel was relocated to St. Louis, Missouri, and destroyed there on May 11, 1906, using dynamite for scrap metal. Some disassembled components of Ferris’ original design were used to construct the U.S.S. Illinois, a World War I battleship, and the Kankakee River Bridge, south of Chicago. Although Ferris lived a short life, passing away at the age of 37 due to typhoid fever, his invention continues to be enjoyed by fun-seekers worldwide. Now, Ferris wheels could be found in tourist parks, festivals, carnivals, and other types of celebrations.

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5 FUN FACTS ABOUT THE FERRIS WHEEL

• The initial admission price for the Ferris wheel was fifty cents.
• Despite the fact that the original Ferris wheel was intended to compete with the 1,063-foot Eiffel Tower in Paris, it was only 264 feet tall and four times shorter.
• Officials of the fair believed that Ferris’ 26-story ride would be too dangerous, so he paid $25,000 out of pocket for safety studies.
• Initially, Ferris drew designs for his wheel on napkins in a Chicago restaurant before he developed the concepts into blueprints.
• At the conclusion of the 1893 World’s Columbian Exposition in Chicago, 1.5 million people were estimated to have ridden the first Ferris wheel.

NATIONAL FERRIS WHEEL DAY DATES