Are you ready to ride the sparkling new Ferris wheel coming to Chicago next year? If you've been to Navy Pier recently, you've seen all the construction taking place in honor of Navy Pier's centennial celebration in 2016. Among the changes will be a new 196-foot Ferris wheel.
That's almost 50 feet taller than the Ferris wheel it's replacing—and the new wheel will even feature temperature-controlled gondolas and TV screens.
Did you know that the very first Ferris wheel made its debut in our city in 1893 at the World's Columbian Exposition, also called the Chicago World's Fair?
The previous World's Fair winner, France, and its Eiffel tower, brought out the competitive spirit in a young American engineer, George Washington Gale Ferris Jr. Despite naysayers, Ferris knew his idea—to build something that would not only stand tall but move as well—would be amazing! He called it the Monster Wheel. The name was later changed to "Ferris" wheel by his investors. Read more about George in the picture book Mr. Ferris and His Wheel. Find out what inspired him to build the very first Ferris wheel and all the obstacles he had to overcome to see his idea come to life.
Ferris Wheel!: Meet George Ferris from Galesburg, Illinois, and follow him as he travels to Chicago in 1890 as Chicago planned the World’s Fair. This informational book goes into deeper details and tells what happened to George’s Ferris wheel after it stopped spinning in winter 1893.
In Exploring the Chicago World's Fair, 1893, 12-year-old Dora is faced with the job of looking after her sisters after moving to the White City in the midst of the World’s Columbian Exposition.
Fair Weather: What could be more exciting than visiting Aunt Euterpe in the city during the World's Fair? Thirteen-year-old Rosie and her family will soon leave the country for the sights and sounds and smells of Chicago in 1893.
Follow Conn from his small Irish village to the hustle and bustle of Chicago and the World’s Columbian Exposition as he joins the crew building The Great Wheel.
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