who invented the ferris wheel

George Washington Gale Ferris Jr., an American civil engineer, invented the original Ferris wheel for the 1893 World’s Columbian Exposition in Chicago.

Who Invented the Ferris Wheel?

• The Ferris wheel is named after George Washington Gale Ferris Jr., who designed and built the first large steel wheel as a showpiece for the Chicago World’s Fair in 1893.

• His design was intended as the United States’ spectacular answer to the Eiffel Tower, which had amazed visitors at the 1889 Paris Exposition.

Quick Scoop: Key Facts

• Ferris was a trained civil engineer who worked in bridge-building and steel inspection before proposing his giant wheel.

• The original Ferris Wheel (often called the Chicago Wheel) stood about 80 meters tall and carried thousands of fairgoers high above Chicago during the 1893 exposition.

The term “Ferris wheel” now refers to any similar rotating observation wheel, but it originally honored the specific invention of George Washington Gale Ferris Jr.

TL;DR: The Ferris wheel is named after its inventor, engineer George Washington Gale Ferris Jr., who built the first one for the 1893 Chicago World’s Fair.

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