How the American "Ferris Wheel" was inspired by the City of Lights
When you live in Chicago and know a little bit of Chicago history, It’s a pretty amazing sight to see the French version of the Ferris wheel sitting so proudly at the western end of the Champs-Elysees; the world-famous boulevard in the heart of Paris.
The original Ferris Wheel was designed and built by the American civil engineer and bridge builder George Washington Gale Ferris Jr. to be the centerpiece of the 1893 Chicago World’s Columbian Exposition. It was built to be the “Answer” to the grandeur and curiosity created by the 1889 Paris Exposition centerpiece the Eiffel Tower. It was considered to be an engineering marvel in its time.
Competition between cities and cultures was a big thing in those days…
