The history of Ferris wheels

inventor George Ferris has no small  claim to fame because it was Ferris who   you might say reinvented the wheel  Roxana saberi takes us for a spin   for many summer fun means thrill  rides that soar swirl and defy gravity   but if you need a break from holding your breath  there's one attraction that lets you catch it   the ferris wheel a slow-moving salvation what  goes up must come down from all that speed what   was your favorite part about the ride the top part  you could see like everything from up there it's   been turning for more than 130 years so why is it  called Ferris not many people know about George   Washington Gale Ferris Paul Durica is the director  of exhibitions at the Chicago History Museum who   was George Washington Gale Ferris an up-and-coming  engineer in the early 1890s he'd been born in   Illinois he moved to Pittsburgh and it's around  this time that the announcement goes out that the   World's Fair organizers in Chicago are seeking  a large-scale attraction one that would top the   fiesta resistance at the previous World's Fair  in Paris what a lot of people responding with   were designs that were very similar we'll just  build a bigger Tower than the Eiffel Tower but   it was George Washington Gale Ferris who had  the idea to make something on a similar scale   but allow it to move Legend has it he was inspired  by watching a water reel turn he believed all   along in the science in the engineering and he  knew that it could work even though it hadn't   been done on that scale before even though it  hadn't been done built in less than six months   his wheel opened to the public in June 1893 the  steel structure was massive climbing 264 feet with   36 cars each carrying 60 passengers at the time  it was the tallest object in Chicago today an ice   rink sits in its place what was the reception when  the ferris wheel opened here it was an experience   unlike people it ever really had before it really  sort of lose yourself in the experience as the   world below you faded away and then suddenly  came back into view and faded away again it's a sensation that endures to this day there  are enormous Wheels worldwide in London Las Vegas   and this one in Dubai Rises more than 800 feet  this is the brains of the operations we paid a   visit to the command center at the dream wheel  in New Jersey what's the blue line so the the   black line is your wind speed the blue line  is your relative humidity so there's a lot of   moving Parts No Pressure David Moore is the  dream Wheels General operations manager the   original Ferris wheel was Sting driven we are  100 electronic no steam no Hydraulics just All   Electronics what makes a wheel so enticing to  Engineers like yourself the size the movement   and it's a pure work of art in the sky spinning  with people on it enjoying themselves we're just   naturally drawn to it both as just people but  also writers and artists professor and author   Caron Levis captures its Whimsy in her children's  book stop that yawn we met her at the famed Wonder   Wheel at Coney Island running since 1920. there's  just so much juice in the image for all these   contrasts that it has for this sort of old and  new and delightful it appears in so many things   you bought our apartment yeah the wheel has its  place in popular culture from the romantic and   the notebook you want to ride the ferris wheel to  the menacing with Orson Welles in the third man   don't think they'd look for a bullet  wound after you hit that ground   Paul Durica says it came to a halt soon after  the Chicago World's Fair nobody wants it so they   decide basically to Dynamite it and that's the sad  end of the original ferris wheel they demolished   it they demolished it and out of over a hundred  thousand Parts all right let's see what's inside   this bolt that's much larger than I thought it  would be is one of the few pieces that remain   what Ferris built also broke him he went bankrupt  got typhoid fever and died at age 37 in 1896.   but all these years later his invention keeps  spinning bringing a smile to Ron Tom and Cougar   Peck how are you related to George Washington  Gale Ferris he is our great great great great   uncle Ferris family members couldn't resist taking  a ride on the Centennial wheel in Chicago when you   see all the kids getting off of this wheel and  other Wheels how does that make you feel yeah   very proud the Traditions carrying on what do you  think George Ferris would think of all the wheels   around the world today George Ferris would not  be surprised at all about the popularity of his   invention he had complete faith in himself  he knew it would work he would probably say   as he kind of surveyed the world and looked at  things like the Wonder Wheel and Coney Island or   the London Eye is like see I told you so this  is a great attraction it really does give you   was time to pause yeah absolutely let's  just hang out up here for a while [Music]

Channel: CBS Sunday Morning

Views: 83,756

Keywords: CBS Sunday Morning, CBS News, news, ferris wheel, 1893, george washington gale ferris jr, worlds fair, chicago, observation wheel, roxana saberi, ride

Id: WJ1aoYFOEac

Length: 5min 51sec (351 seconds)

Published: Sun Jul 02 2023