THE CROWDS WHO were already dazzled by the White City of the World’s Fair were absolutely dumbstruck by the engineering marvel created for the fair by GEORGE W. FERRIS. Even the experts had believed it couldn’t be done, so you can’t really fault the public for some of the questions they asked of the ride’s operators: “Where do we stand when the box turns over?” “What is the axle for?” “Can we get out any time we want to?” “Do you give LIFE INSURANCE tickets to passengers?” A more poetic patron reportedly inscribed this on the car he rode in: “Nearer, my God, to thee/Nearer than I ever expected to be.”
Length of one 50-cent ride on the wheel: 20 MINUTES.
Diameter of the original Ferris wheel: 250 FEET. Diameter of the Ferris wheel at Navy Pier: 140 FEET.
Percentage of adult amusement-park patrons who say Ferris wheels are their favorite ride: 9.
Profit made on the 1982 World’s Fair in Knoxville, Tenn.: $57.
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“Nobody but the man on the moon as he spins through space on his fiery chariot ever took so strange a ride.”
–THE TRIBUNE’S JUNE 22 REPORT ON THE OPENING OF THE FERRIS WHEEL
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nwatkins@tribune.com
