A Ferris wheel is a huge upright rotating wheel. It is a common amusement park ride. Ferris wheels have a number of suspended seats on them. As the wheel spins, the seats stay in the horizontal position.
This first Ferris wheel was at the World's Columbian Exposition of 1893 in Chicago. It was an answer to the 1889 Paris exposition, which had the astonishing Eiffel Tower. George W. Ferris, a bridge builder, was the creator of this wheel. He got the idea after looking at a Merry-go-Round, a relatively simple ride that was very popular. He decided that a vertical version of the Merry-go-Round would be an interesting ride, so he drew up the plans for one.
The Ferris wheel was exceptionally successful and at the fare of 50 cents a ride, the first Ferris wheel made $726,805.50 in its short life, a profit of $300,000.
Ever since then, The Ferris Wheel has been a regular part of the World’s fair, and in fact, any fair in particular. You’ll have to search long and hard to find a fair without this spinning wheel.