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Ferris wheel

 
American Heritage Dictionary:

Fer·ris wheel

Home > Library > Literature & Language > Dictionary
also fer·ris wheel (fĕr'ĭs) pronunciation
n.
An amusement ride consisting of a large upright rotating wheel having suspended seats that remain in a horizontal position as the wheel revolves.

[After George Washington Gale Ferris (1859-1896), American engineer.]


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Gale's How Products Are Made:

How is a ferris wheel made?

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Background

A ferris wheel is an amusement park ride consisting of a large vertical wheel with places for people to sit or stand spaced evenly around the outer circumference. In operation, the ferris wheel revolves about a horizontal axis, and the riders are alternately lifted and then lowered as they are carried around the wheel in a circle. When the wheel stops, the people in the seat or platform at ground level exit the ride, and new riders take their place. The wheel then revolves a short distance until the next seat or platform is at ground level, allowing more people to exit and enter. This procedure is repeated until all the seats or platforms are filled with new riders, at which time the wheel is set in motion to undergo several complete revolutions. Although the name "ferris wheel" was not used until the 1890s, the wheel itself has been a part of human festivities for hundreds of years.

History

The earliest designs of wheels used for amusement rides may have been based on the large, circular wheels used to lift water for irrigation. In fact, knowing the human spirit, it is probable that adventuresome children used these water wheels for entertainment from the time they were first developed in about 200 B.C.

English traveler Peter Mundy described what he called a "pleasure wheel" with swings for seats after he visited a street fair in Turkey in 1620. In England, small handturned wheels were called "ups-and-downs" as early as 1728.

Whatever they were called, amusement wheels found their way to many parts of the world. One of the first wheels in the United States was built in 1848 by Antonio Maguino, who used it to draw crowds to his rural park and picnic grounds in Walton Spring, Georgia. As the concept of mixing amusement rides with park and picnic facilities caught on, several companies began manufacturing wheels of various designs. In 1870, Charles W.P. Dare of Brooklyn made several wood wheels of 20-and 30-ft (6.1-and 9.1-m) diameters, which he sold as the Dare Aerial Swing. The Conderman Brothers of Indiana made an even larger wheel when they developed a 35-ft (10.7-m) metal wheel in the 1880s.

The race for larger wheels culminated in early 1893 when American bridge builder and engineer, George Washington Gale Ferris, began building a 250-ft (76.2-m) wheel for the 1893 Colombian Exposition in Chicago. Designed like a bicycle wheel, with a stiff steel outer rim hung from the center axle by steel spokes under tension, the wheel could carry as many as 1,440 passengers at a time in 36 enclosed cars. The center axle was 33 in (84 cm) in diameter and 45.5 f (13.9 m) in length. It weighed 46.5 tons (42.2 metric tons) and was the largest steel forging ever produced at the time. The giant wheel opened on June 21, 1893, and drew more than 1.4 million paying customers during the 19 weeks it was in operation. The overwhelming success of Ferris' design ensured that his name would be forever linked with such wheels.

One of the people who rode the ferris wheel at the Colombian Exposition was American inventor and bridge builder William E. Sullivan. Sullivan was fascinated with the wheel and rode it many times. What was especially attractive to him was the possibility of making a smaller wheel that could be taken down and moved from one park or fairground to another. Drawing on his experience with bridges, he designed a 45-ft (13.7-m) transportable wheel with twelve three-passenger seats in 1900. In 1906 he formed the Eli Bridge Company and started manufacturing his wheel in Roodhouse, Illinois. Later he moved the company to Jacksonville, Illinois, where it remains in operation today. Most of the ferris wheels found in carnivals and fairs in the United States are made by the Eli Bridge Company.

Raw Materials

Because of the unique design of a ferris wheel, most of the component parts are fabricated by the manufacturer. Steel is the most common raw material and is used to make the trailer chassis, wheel support towers, wheel spokes, and wheel crossmembers. A variety of structural steel shapes are used depending on the application. They include square tubing, round tubing, angles, channels, and wide-flanged beams. Aluminum diamond tread plate is used for the entrance and exit walk-ways and for the operator's platform.

Aluminum is used to make the seats and the drive rims. The drive rims are rolled out of aluminum angle stock and are attached to the spokes to form a large circle about 10 ft (3 m) smaller in diameter than the outer rim of the wheel itself. Two rubber drive wheels press against the drive rims on each side to rotate the wheel. Aluminum is used in this application because the constant rubbing of the drive wheels quickly removes the paint on the rims, exposing the bare metal. If steel were used, it would rust.

The cushions used on the seats are molded from a self-skinning polyurethane foam. This material forms a solid, smooth skin on the outside, while the inside remains a compressible foam. Nylon is used for some of the bushings, and a phenolic plastic is used in some of the electrical components. Support cables within the wheel structure may have a plastic cover for appearance and protection from the elements. The electrical rings that carry electrical power from the hubs to the lights along the rotating spokes are made of copper, and the brushes that bring the power to the rings are made of carbon.

Some ferris wheel components are purchased from other manufacturers and are installed on the ferris wheel when it is built. These include the axles, brakes, tires, and wheels on the trailer. Other purchased components include the electric drive motors, the electrical wires and cables, and the electrical light bulbs and sockets.

Design

Ferris wheels that are designed to be transported on the road from one location to another must conform to the overall width, height, and length restrictions for highway vehicles. Although these restrictions vary from state to state, most states limit the trailer width to 8.5 ft (2.6 m), the height to 13.5 ft (4.1 m), and the length to 55 ft (16.8 m). No matter how big or small the ferris wheel is when it is opened and in operation, it must fold down to meet these restrictions when it is travelling on the highway.

The ferris wheel must also be designed to operate safely. This requires calculations to ensure the horizontal and vertical forces of the fully loaded wheel can be supported when the wheel is in operation. It also requires the design of safety interlocks to prevent the wheel from revolving during loading and unloading operations, and to prevent the operator from inadvertently operating the wheel in an unsafe manner.

The Manufacturing Process

The manufacturing processes used to make ferris wheels varies with the design of the wheel and the manufacturer. Most of the components are built in different parts of the shop before they are brought to the main construction area for final assembly. Here is a typical sequence of operations used to build a transportable ferris wheel used in carnivals and county fairs. In operation, the wheel described is about 60 ft (18.3 m) in diameter with a capacity to carry up to 48 riders in 16 seats.

Building the chassis

  • The trailer chassis forms the base for the ferris wheel, both when it is being transported on the highway and when it is in operation. The component parts of the chassis are cut to length, either with a metal-cutting saw or with a torch, and are welded together. Two vertical support posts are welded to the forward section of the chassis. These posts hold the upper end of the two wheel support towers when they are in their lowered position for travelling.
  • The completed chassis is then sandblasted to remove any scale and spatter formed during the welding operation. This ensures a smooth surface appearance and prevents the scale from chipping off later and leaving patches of bare steel.
  • The chassis is then coated with a rust-in-hibiting primer. After the primer has dried, one or more coats of finish paint are applied in the desired color.

Installing the towers

  • The two wheel support towers are fabricated and painted elsewhere and are lifted into position on the chassis. The lower ends are attached to hinges on each side of the chassis, and the upper ends rest on the two support posts. The towers include ladders welded along one edge to provide access to the electrical rings and brushes at the wheel hubs and to the electrical drive motors and wheels that tum the drive rim on each side. The center axle is then installed between the wheel hubs at the tops of the two towers.
  • A long hydraulic cylinder is attached between the chassis and the wheel support tower on each side, about halfway along the length of the tower. These hydraulic cylinders are used to raise the towers into their upright position when the ferris wheel is being set up for operation. The cylinders are secured in place with a pivot pin at each end.
  • A separate lateral support arm is attached near the top of each wheel support tower. These arms each consist of two pieces of square tubing, with one piece slightly smaller in cross section so it slides inside the other. When the wheel support towers are raised for operation, the lateral support arms are pulled out to the side and the inner section of each is extended and locked in place with a pin. Two other pieces of square tubing are hinged to the chassis frame on each side and swing out to attach to the bases of the lateral supports. This gives the ferris wheel the required side-to-side stability it needs.
  • Hydraulic and electrical lines are routed inside the chassis frame pieces where they will be protected. The operator's control station is installed and connected. The chassis axles, brakes, tires, wheels, and stabilizer jacks may be installed at this time or they may be installed after all other work is complete.

Installing the spokes

  • Sixteen pairs of spokes run from the center hubs at the tops of the towers out to the seats. To install the spokes in the factory, the first pair of spokes is laid flat on the factory floor, and two crossmembers are installed between the spokes. One crossmember is located at the point where the drive rims will be attached, which is about 5 ft (1.5 m) in from the outer end of the spokes. A pair of curved sections of the drive rims are also bolted in place on each side at the same point. Only one end of the drive rim sections are bolted, leaving the other end free. This procedure is repeated for the remaining spokes, crossmembers, and drive rim sections until they form a stack. The inner ends of each pair of spokes are pinned to the pair below it. V-shaped lighting booms are installed between the center of every other outer crossmember as the stack is assembled. This overlapping pattern of lights produces a double-star effect.
  • The stack is then lifted onto the trailer with an overhead crane, and the top pair of spokes is pinned to the hubs. In operation, the spokes are all pulled into the vertical position when the towers are raised. The spokes are then pinned to the hubs, one pair at a time, and the free ends of the drive rim sections are swung down and bolted to the adjacent spokes to form the wheel—like a paper fan being unfolded.
  • Electrical cables are connected from the electrical rings at the wheel hubs to each lighting boom. Mechanical support cables are installed between the ends of the spokes around the outer circumference of the wheel. Other mechanical cables are installed in an x-pattern between each pair of spokes to give additional stability.

Finishing the wheel

  • The entrance and exit stairs and walkways, safety fences, and trim pieces are fabricated, painted, and installed. The seats are fabricated and painted. In operation, four of the seats are carried attached to the wheel. The remaining seats are carried separately on the trailer and are manually lifted and pinned into place after the wheel is erected.

Safety Considerations

As with any amusement park ride, safety is the primary concern of both the manufacturer and the operator. Current safety regulations governing ferris wheels vary from city to city and state to state. The American Society for Testing and Materials (ASTM) is in the process of developing a comprehensive standard for the design, testing, manufacturing, and operation of all amusement park rides. Ferris wheel manufacturers and amusement park operators are actively participating in this process.

The Future

Having provided entertainment for several hundred years, if not several thousand years, the ferris wheel will probably continue to be a pleasurable experience for many years to come. Although roller coasters and other thrill rides may dominate amusement parks, the ferris wheel will still give riders the gentle thrill of being carried up in the air in an open seat to hang high above the crowds on a warm summer evening.

Where to Learn More

Books

Anderson, Norman D., and Walter R. Brown. Ferris Wheels. New York: Pantheon Books, 1983.

Periodicals

Marks, D., and J. Barfield. "Riding High." People Weekly (November 15, 1999): 62-63.

Other

Eli Bridge Company. http://www.elibridge.com (October 13, 2000).

[Article by: Chris Cavette]


Gale Encyclopedia of US History:

Ferris Wheel

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A noted feature of the World's Columbian Exposition at Chicago in 1893 was a huge upright steel wheel three hundred feet tall and thirty feet wide, with thirty-six passenger cars, each of which could hold sixty people, swinging around the wheel's rim. This was the Ferris wheel. Although not the first such contraption, it became the most famous. George W. G. Ferris, a Pittsburgh engineer, built the wheel upon hearing the lament that there was nothing planned for the fair as novel as the Eiffel Tower at the Paris Exposition of 1889.

His wheel became one of the main attractions on the exposition's Midway Plaisance.

Bibliography

Adams, Judith A. The American Amusement Park Industry: A History of Technology and Thrills. Boston: Twayne, 1991.

—Alvin F. Harlow/A. E.

Columbia Encyclopedia:

Ferris wheel

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Ferris wheel, amusement park ride. It consists of a power-operated wheel that is about 50 ft (15 m) in diameter. It has two rims that are parallel to and equidistant from the shaft about which the wheel rotates. Between the rims there are a number of seats or enclosed cars that carry passengers. George W. G. Ferris, a U.S. engineer from Galesburg, Ill., designed and built the first such wheel for the World's Columbian Exposition held in Chicago in 1892. This wheel was 250 ft (76 m) in diameter and carried 36 cars with a seating capacity of 40 passengers each; its total weight was 220 tons. The world's largest Ferris wheel is that in Singapore (2008), which rises to 541 ft (165 m). Other large Ferris wheels include those in London, England (443 ft/135 m), and Yokohama, Japan (344 ft/105 m); the largest in the United States is the Texas Star in Dallas, at 212 ft (65 m). Ferris wheels may be found at many exhibitions, fairs, and carnivals.

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categories related to 'Ferris wheel'

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Random House Word Menu by Stephen Glazier
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Wikipedia on Answers.com:

Ferris wheel

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For other uses, see Ferris wheel (disambiguation).

A Ferris wheel (also known as an observation wheel or big wheel) is a nonbuilding structure consisting of a rotating upright wheel with passenger cars (sometimes referred to as gondolas or capsules) attached to the rim in such a way that as the wheel turns, the cars are kept upright, usually by gravity.

Some of the largest and most modern Ferris wheels have cars mounted on the outside of the rim, and electric motors to independently rotate each car to keep it upright. These wheels are sometimes referred to as observation wheels, and their cars referred to as capsules, however these alternative names are also sometimes used for wheels with conventional gravity-oriented cars.

The original Ferris Wheel was designed and constructed by George Washington Gale Ferris, Jr. as a landmark for the 1893 World's Columbian Exposition in Chicago. The term Ferris wheel later came to be used generically for all such structures.

Since the original 1893 Chicago Ferris Wheel, there have been eight subsequent world's tallest-ever Ferris wheels. The current record holder is the 165-metre (541 ft) Singapore Flyer, which opened to the public in March 2008.

London Eye, tallest Ferris wheel in the Western Hemisphere
Contents

Early history

Olearius uvesel.jpg
Ferris ups.jpg
Early pleasure wheels depicted in 17th century engravings, to the left by Adam Olearius, to the right a Turkish design, apparently for adults
Dancing the hora on Dealul Spirii (Spirii Hill), Bucharest, Romania (1857 lithograph)

"Pleasure wheels", whose passengers rode in chairs suspended from large wooden rings turned by strong men, may have originated in 17th century Bulgaria.[1][2]

The travels of Peter Mundy in Europe and Asia, 1608-1667 [3] describes and illustrates "severall Sorts of Swinginge used in their Publique rejoyceings att their Feast of Biram" on 17 May 1620 at Philippopolis in the Ottoman Balkans.[2] Among means "lesse dangerous and troublesome" was one:

“ ...like a Craine wheele att Customhowse Key and turned in that Manner, whereon Children sitt on little seats hunge round about in severall parts thereof, And though it turne right upp and downe, and that the Children are sometymes on the upper part of the wheele, and sometymes on the lower, yett they alwaies sitt upright. ”


Five years earlier, in 1615, Pietro Della Valle, a Roman traveller who sent letters from Constantinople, Persia, and India, attended a Ramadan festival in Constantinople. He describes the fireworks, floats, and great swings, then comments on riding the Great Wheel:[4]

“ I was delighted to find myself swept upwards and downwards at such speed. But the wheel turned round so rapidly that a Greek who was sitting near me couldn't bear it any longer, and shouted out "soni! soni!" (enough! enough!) ”


Similar wheels also appeared in England in the 17th century, and subsequently elsewhere around the world, including India, Romania, and Siberia.[2]

A Frenchman, Antonio Manguino, introduced the idea to America in 1848, when he constructed a wooden pleasure wheel to attract visitors to his start-up fair in Walton Spring, Georgia. Ferris wheels are now the most common type of carnival ride at state fairs in the US.[1]

Somers' Wheel

In 1892, William Somers installed three fifty-foot wooden wheels at Asbury Park, New Jersey; Atlantic City, New Jersey; and Coney Island, New York. The following year he was granted the first U.S. patent for a "Roundabout".[5][6] George Washington Gale Ferris, Jr. rode on Somers' wheel in Atlantic City prior to designing his wheel for the World's Columbian Exposition. In 1893 Somers filed a lawsuit against Ferris for patent infringement, however Ferris and his lawyers successfully argued that the Ferris Wheel and its technology differed greatly from Somers' wheel, and the case was dismissed.[7]

The original Ferris Wheel

Main article: Ferris Wheel
The original Chicago Ferris Wheel, built for the 1893 World's Columbian Exposition

The original Ferris Wheel, sometimes also referred to as the Chicago Wheel,[8][9][10] was designed and constructed by George Washington Gale Ferris, Jr..

With a height of 80.4 metres (264 ft) it was the largest attraction at the World's Columbian Exposition in Chicago, Illinois, where it opened to the public on June 21, 1893. It was intended to rival the 324-metre (1,063 ft) Eiffel Tower, the centerpiece of the 1889 Paris Exposition.

Ferris was a graduate of Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute and a Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, bridge-builder. He began his career in the railroad industry and then pursued an interest in bridge building. Ferris understood the growing need for structural steel and founded G.W.G. Ferris & Co. in Pittsburgh, a firm that tested and inspected metals for railroads and bridge builders.

The wheel rotated on a 71-ton, 45.5-foot axle comprising what was at that time the world's largest hollow forging, manufactured in Pittsburgh by the Bethlehem Iron Company and weighing 89,320 pounds, together with two 16-foot-diameter (4.9 m) cast-iron spiders weighing 53,031 pounds.[9]

There were 36 cars, each fitted with 40 revolving chairs and able to accommodate up to 60 people, giving a total capacity of 2,160.[8] The wheel carried some 38,000 passengers daily[1] and took 20 minutes to complete two revolutions, the first involving six stops to allow passengers to exit and enter and the second a nine-minute non-stop rotation, for which the ticket holder paid 50 cents.

The Exposition ended in October 1893, and the wheel closed in April 1894 and was dismantled and stored until the following year. It was then rebuilt on Chicago's North Side, near Lincoln Park, next to an exclusive neighborhood. This prompted William D. Boyce, then a local resident, to file a Circuit Court action against the owners of the wheel to have it removed, but without success. It operated there from October 1895 until 1903, when it was again dismantled, then transported by rail to St. Louis for the 1904 World's Fair and finally destroyed by controlled demolition using dynamite on May 11, 1906.[11]

Antique Ferris wheels

Wiener Prater Vienna Austria 20476.JPG
Wiener Riesenrad DSC02378.JPG
Wiener Riesenrad, Vienna, built in 1897, originally had 30 passenger cabins but was rebuilt with 15 cabins following a fire in 1944

The Wiener Riesenrad (German for "Viennese Giant Wheel") is a surviving example of nineteenth century Ferris wheels. Erected in 1897 in the Wurstelprater section of Prater public park in the Leopoldstadt district of Vienna, Austria, to celebrate Emperor Franz Josef I's Golden Jubilee, it has a height of 64.75 metres (212 ft)[12] and originally had 30 passenger cars. A demolition permit for the Riesenrad was issued in 1916, but due to a lack to funds with which to carry out the destruction, it survived.[13]

Following the demolition of the 100-metre (328 ft) Grande Roue de Paris in 1920,[8] the Riesenrad became the world's tallest extant Ferris wheel. In 1944 it burnt down, but was rebuilt the following year[13] with 15 passenger cars, and remained the world's tallest extant wheel until its 97th year, when the 85-metre (279 ft) Technocosmos was constructed for Expo '85, at Tsukuba, Ibaraki, Japan.

Still in operation today, it is one of Vienna's most popular tourist attractions, and over the years has featured in numerous films (including Madame Solange d`Atalide (1914),[13] Letter from an Unknown Woman (1948), The Third Man (1949), The Living Daylights (1987), Before Sunrise (1995)) and novels.

World's tallest Ferris wheels

The 94 m Great Wheel at Earls Court, London, world's tallest Ferris wheel 1895-1900

Chronology of world's tallest-ever wheels

Timeline

Name
 		 Height
   m (ft)  		 Completed
 		 Country
 		 Location
 		 Coordinates
 		 Remarks
 
Singapore Flyer [22]
165 (541)
2008
  Singapore Marina Centre, Downtown Core 1°17′22″N 103°51′48″E / 1.289397°N 103.863231°E / 1.289397; 103.863231 (Singapore Flyer) World's tallest 2008-current
Star of Nanchang [22]
160 (525)
2006
  China Nanchang, Jiangxi 28°39′34″N 115°50′44″E / 28.659332°N 115.845568°E / 28.659332; 115.845568 (Star of Nanchang) World's tallest 2006-2008
London Eye [22]
135 (443)
2000
  UK South Bank, Lambeth, London 51°30′12″N 0°07′11″W / 51.50334°N 0.1197821°W / 51.50334; -0.1197821 (London Eye) World's tallest 2000-2006
Suzhou Ferris Wheel [22][23]
120 (394)
2009
  China Suzhou, Jiangsu 31°18′59″N 120°42′30″E / 31.3162939°N 120.7084501°E / 31.3162939; 120.7084501 (Suzhou Ferris Wheel)
The Southern Star [22]
120 (394)
2008
  Australia Waterfront City, Melbourne 37°48′40″S 144°56′13″E / 37.8110723°S 144.9368763°E / -37.8110723; 144.9368763 (Southern Star) Closed January 2009 for repairs
Tianjin Eye [22]
120 (394)
2008
  China Chihai Bridge, Tianjin 39°09′12″N 117°10′49″E / 39.1533636°N 117.1802616°E / 39.1533636; 117.1802616 (Tianjin Eye) Tallest built over a bridge
Changsha Ferris Wheel [22]
120 (394)
2004
  China Changsha, Hunan 28°10′56″N 112°58′48″E / 28.1821772°N 112.9800886°E / 28.1821772; 112.9800886 (Changsha Ferris Wheel)
Zhengzhou Ferris Wheel [22][24]
120 (394)
2003
  China Century Amusement Park, Henan 34°45′52″N 113°39′18″E / 34.7645138°N 113.6549377°E / 34.7645138; 113.6549377 (Zhengzhou Ferris Wheel)
Sky Dream Fukuoka [22][25]
120 (394)
2002
  Japan Evergreen Marinoa, Fukuoka, Kyūshū 33°35′44″N 130°19′21″E / 33.5956845°N 130.3225279°E / 33.5956845; 130.3225279 (Sky Dream Fukuoka) Closed September 2009
Diamond and Flower Ferris Wheel
117 (384)
2001
  Japan Kasai Rinkai Park, Tokyo, Honshū 35°38′38″N 139°51′26″E / 35.6439052°N 139.8572257°E / 35.6439052; 139.8572257 (Diamond and Flower Ferris Wheel)
Star of Lake Tai [citation needed]
115 (377)
2008
  China Lake Tai, Wuxi, Jiangsu 31°31′15″N 120°15′39″E / 31.5208296°N 120.260945°E / 31.5208296; 120.260945 (Star of Taihu Lake) Picture
Daikanransha [21]
115 (377)
1999
  Japan Palette Town, Odaiba, Honshū 35°37′35″N 139°46′56″E / 35.6263915°N 139.7822902°E / 35.6263915; 139.7822902 (Daikanransha) World's tallest 1999-2000
Cosmo Clock 21 (2nd installation)
112.5 (369)
1999
  Japan Minato Mirai 21, Yokohama, Honshū 35°27′19″N 139°38′12″E / 35.4553872°N 139.6367347°E / 35.4553872; 139.6367347 (Cosmo Clock 21 (2nd installation))
Tempozan Ferris Wheel [18]
112.5 (369)
1997
  Japan Osaka, Honshū 34°39′22″N 135°25′52″E / 34.6561657°N 135.431031°E / 34.6561657; 135.431031 (Tempozan Ferris Wheel) World's tallest 1997-1999
Harbin Ferris Wheel [26]
110 (361)
2003
  China Harbin, Heilongjiang 45°46′40″N 126°39′48″E / 45.7776481°N 126.6634637°E / 45.7776481; 126.6634637 (Harbin Ferris Wheel) Picture
Shanghai Ferris Wheel [27][28]
108 (354)
2002
  China Jinjiang Action Park, Shanghai 31°08′24″N 121°24′11″E / 31.1401286°N 121.4030752°E / 31.1401286; 121.4030752 (Shanghai Ferris Wheel) Picture
Cosmo Clock 21 (1st installation)
107.5 (353)
1989
  Japan Minato Mirai 21, Yokohama, Honshū
?
 World's tallest 1989-1997
Space Eye [29]
100 (328)
?
  Japan Space World, Kitakyūshū, Kyūshū 33°52′18″N 130°48′36″E / 33.8716939°N 130.8099014°E / 33.8716939; 130.8099014 (Space Eye) Picture
Grande Roue de Paris [8]
100 (328)
1900
  France Champ de Mars, Paris 48°51′08″N 2°17′57″E / 48.852222°N 2.299167°E / 48.852222; 2.299167 (Grande Roue de Paris (demolished 1920)) World's tallest 1900-1920
Great Wheel [14] 094
94 (308)
1895
  UK Earls Court, London 51°29′18″N 0°11′56″W / 51.48835°N 0.19889°W / 51.48835; -0.19889 (Great Wheel (demolished 1907)) World's tallest 1895-1900
Aurora Wheel [30] 090
90 (295)
?
  Japan Nagashima Spa Land, Mie, Honshū 35°01′47″N 136°44′01″E / 35.0298207°N 136.7336351°E / 35.0298207; 136.7336351 (Aurora Wheel) Picture
Eurowheel [31] 090
90 (295)
1999
  Italy Mirabilandia, Ravenna 44°20′21″N 12°15′44″E / 44.3392161°N 12.2622228°E / 44.3392161; 12.2622228 (Eurowheel) Tallest extant in Europe 1999
Sky Wheel [32] 088
88 (289)
?
  Taiwan Janfusun Fancyworld, Gukeng 23°37′13″N 120°34′35″E / 23.6202611°N 120.5763352°E / 23.6202611; 120.5763352 (Sky Wheel)
Technostar
Technocosmos [8]		 085
85 (279)
 1985
?
1985
  Japan Expoland, Osaka, Honshū (?-2009)
Expo '85, Tsukuba, Honshū (1985-?)		 34°48′14″N 135°32′09″E / 34.803772°N 135.535916°E / 34.803772; 135.535916 (Technostar)
36°03′40″N 140°04′23″E / 36.061203°N 140.073055°E / 36.061203; 140.073055 (Technocosmos)		 World's tallest extant 1985-1989Technocosmos renamed/relocated
World's tallest extant 1985-1989
The original Ferris Wheel 080.40
80.4 (264)
1893
  US Chicago (1893-1903); St.Louis (1904-06) Erioll world.svg Ferris Wheel coordinates World's tallest 1893-1894

Future wheels

Current proposals

  • The 167.6 m (550 ft) High Roller, to be built on the Las Vegas Strip, Nevada, was announced in August 2011. Part of Caesars Entertainment Corporation's Project Linq, construction was scheduled to begin in September 2011 and completion expected in late 2013.[33]
  • The 150 m (492 ft) Jeddah Eye proposed for Saudi Arabia is part of a development begun in 2008 and scheduled to open in 2012.[34]
  • The 145 m (476 ft)[35][36] Skyvue Las Vegas Super Wheel,[37] to be built on the Las Vegas Strip, Nevada, was approved by Clark County Commission in March 2011.[38] It was announced at a media event and groundbreaking ceremony in May 2011 by Howard Bulloch of Compass Investments, who stated "We expect it to be up and running in time for New Year's 2012."[35][39] Its 40 gondolas will each carry 20-25 people.[37]
Artist's impression of the 208 m Beijing Great Wheel, originally due to open in 2008, but now in receivership
Artist's impression of the 175 m Great Berlin Wheel, originally due to open in 2008, but now "on hold"

Incomplete, delayed, or cancelled proposals

Wheels for which no completion date has been announced, or whose original completion date has already passed:

  • The 220 m (722 ft) Moscow View, proposed in 2011, would feature 48 monorail-mounted passenger capsules, each able to carry 48 passengers, travelling round a centreless non-rotating rim. The site of the structure within Moscow has yet to be selected, and the timeframe for its construction unknown.[40][41][42] In December 2011 the project was reported to be stalled due to lack of City Hall approval.[43]
  • The 208 m (682 ft) Beijing Great Wheel, construction begun 2007 and originally due to open 2008,[44] went into receivership in 2010.[45]
  • The 198 m (650 ft) Baghdad Eye was proposed for Baghdad, Iraq, in August 2008. At that time, three possible locations had been identified, but no estimates of cost or completion date were given.[46][47][48] In October 2008, it was reported that Al-Zawraa Park was expected to be the site,[49] and a 60 m (197 ft) wheel was installed there in March 2011.[50]
  • The 185 m (607 ft) Great Dubai Wheel proposed for Dubailand, Dubai, United Arab Emirates, was granted planning permission in 2006 and expected to open in 2009.[51]
  • The 183 m (600 ft) Voyager[52] has been proposed several times for Las Vegas, Nevada.[53]
  • The 176 m (577 ft) Bangkok Eye, to be located near the Chao Phraya River in Bangkok, Thailand, was announced by the Bangkok Metropolitan Administration on 13 October 2010, at which time the actual site and means of funding the 30-billion baht project had yet to be determined.[54]
  • The 175 m (574 ft) Great Berlin Wheel was originally planned to open in 2008 but the project encountered financial obstacles.[55]
  • The 122 m (400 ft) Great Orlando Wheel was announced in June 2008[56] but then suspended in early 2009 after losing its funding.[55]
  • A 120 m (394 ft) wheel for Manchester, England, was proposed by Manchester City Council in 2010 as a replacement for the transportable 60 m (197 ft) Wheel of Manchester installation, with Piccadilly Gardens the possible site and completion expected by Christmas 2011.[57]
  • A 91.4 m (300 ft) wheel planned for Manchester, England, for 2008,[58] was never constructed.
  • The 88 m (289 ft) Malaysia Eye was proposed to replace the transportable 60 m (197 ft) Eye on Malaysia installation, which was dismantled in October 2010, in Malacca, Malaysia. Scheduled to open on December 1, 2011, at a new site on Malacca Island, it was to have had 54 air-conditioned gondolas, each able to carry six people.[59]
  • The 87 m (285 ft) Pepsi Globe was proposed for the planned Meadowlands complex in New Jersey in February 2008 and originally due to open in 2009, then put on hold until 2010.[60] It has since been further delayed, and construction of the host complex, originally due to be completed in 2007, has been stalled since 2009 due to financing problems.[61]

Kolkata Eye is a possible name for a giant wheel proposed in 2011 for construction on the banks of Hooghly River in Kolkata, India. Favoured by Mamata Banerjee, Chief Minister of West Bengal, the project is valued at 100 crore rupees,[62] and a possible site is 4 ekar of land belonging to Hoogly Reserve Bridge Commission.[63]

The Shanghai Star, initially planned as a 200-metre (656 ft) tall wheel to be built by 2005, was revised to 170 metres (558 ft), with a completion date set in 2007, but then cancelled in 2006 due to "political incorrectness".[64] An earlier proposal for a 250-metre (820 ft) structure, the Shanghai Kiss, with capsules ascending and descending a pair of towers which met at their peaks instead of a wheel, was deemed too expensive at £100m.[65]

Rus-3000, a 170-metre (558 ft) wheel planned to open in 2004[66] in Moscow,[67] has since been reported cancelled.[68] Subsequently, an approximately 180-metre (591 ft)[69] wheel was considered for Gorky Central Park of Culture and Leisure,[70][71] and a 150-metre (492 ft) wheel proposed for location near Sparrow Hills.[72]

Observation wheels

SingaporeFlyer.JPG
Singapore flyer capsule inside.JPG
The Singapore Flyer, world's tallest Ferris wheel since 2008, has 28 air-conditioned passenger capsules, each able to carry 28 people [73]
InsidetheLondonEye.JPG
An Eye Pod.jpg
The London Eye's 32 ovoidal air-conditioned passenger capsules each weigh 10 tonnes (11 short tons) and can carry 25 people [74]

Observation wheel is an alternative name for Ferris wheel.[75][76] In 1892, when the incorporation papers for the Ferris Wheel Company (constructors of the original 1893 Chicago Ferris Wheel) were filed, the purpose of the company was stated as: [construction and operation of] "...wheels of the Ferris or other types for the purpose of observation or amusement".[8]

Some Ferris wheels are marketed as observation wheels, any distinction between the two names being at the discretion of the operator, however the wheels whose operators reject the term Ferris wheel are often those having most in common with the original 1893 Chicago Ferris Wheel, especially in terms of scale and being an iconic landmark for a city or event.

Wheels with passenger cars mounted external to the rim and independently rotated by electric motors, as opposed to wheels with cars suspended from the rim and kept upright by gravity, are those most commonly referred to as observation wheels, and their cars are often referred to as capsules. However, these alternative names are also sometimes used for wheels with conventional gravity-oriented cars.

There are currently only three major Ferris wheels with motorised capsules.

The 165 m (541 ft) Singapore Flyer has cylindrical externally-mounted motorised capsules and is described as an observation wheel by its operators,[77] but credited as "world's largest Ferris wheel" by the media.[78][79]

The 135 m (443 ft) London Eye, typically described as a "giant Ferris wheel" by the media,[80][81] has ovoidal externally-mounted motorised capsules and is the "world's tallest cantilevered observation wheel"[82] according to its operators, who claim: "The London Eye is often mistakenly called a Ferris wheel. This is not the case: first, the passenger capsules are completely enclosed and are climate controlled; secondly, the capsules are positioned on the outside of the wheel structure and are fully motorised; and third, the entire structure is supported by an A-frame on one side only."[82] However, the operators of the Singapore Flyer claim their wheel is the "world's largest observation wheel"[83] despite it not being supported by an A-frame on one side only.

The 120 m (394 ft) Southern Star (which opened 20 December 2008, then closed the following month, and is currently dismantled for major repairs) has ovoidal externally-mounted motorised capsules and is described by its operators as "the only observation wheel in the southern hemisphere",[84] but also as a Ferris wheel by the media.[85][86][87]

A fourth wheel, the proposed 167.6 m (550 ft) High Roller, announced in August 2011 and scheduled for completion on the Las Vegas Strip in late 2013,[33] is to feature externally-mounted motorised spherical capsules,[36] and is described as both a Ferris wheel and an observation wheel by the media.[33][35][36][88]

Transportable wheels

Roue de Paris, a Ronald Bussink R60 transportable wheel, pictured at Geleen in the Netherlands in 2005
World's tallest transportable Ferris wheel at World Carnival, Hong Kong, in 2007

Transportable Ferris wheels are designed to be operated at multiple locations, as opposed to fixed wheels which are usually intended for permanent installation. Small transportable designs may be permanently mounted on trailers, and can be moved intact. Larger transportable wheels are designed to be repeatedly dismantled and rebuilt, some using water ballast instead of the permanent foundations of their fixed counterparts.

Fixed wheels are also sometimes dismantled and relocated. Larger examples include the original Ferris Wheel, which operated at two sites in Chicago, Illinois, and a third in St. Louis, Missouri; Technocosmos/Technostar, which moved to Expoland, Osaka, after Expo '85, Tsukuba, Ibaraki, for which it was built, ended; and Cosmo Clock 21, which added 5 metres (16 ft) onto its original 107.5-metre (353 ft) height when erected for the second time at Minato Mirai 21, Yokohama, in 1999.

The world's tallest transportable wheel today is a 66-metre (217 ft) tall Ronald Bussink series R66 design operated by World Carnival.[89]

One of the most famous transportable wheels is the 60-metre (197 ft) tall Roue de Paris, originally installed on the Place de la Concorde in Paris for the 2000 millennium celebrations. Roue de Paris left France in 2002 and in 2003–04 operated in Birmingham and Manchester, England. In 2005 it visited first Geleen then Amsterdam, Netherlands, before returning to England to operate at Gateshead. In 2006 it was erected at the Suan Lum Night Bazaar in Bangkok, Thailand, and by 2008 had made its way to Antwerp, Belgium.[90]

Roue de Paris is a Ronald Bussink series R60 design using 40,000 litres (8,800 imperial gallons; 11,000 US gallons) of water ballast to provide a stable base. The R60 weighs 365 tonnes (402 short tons), and can be erected in 72 hours and dismantled in 60 hours by a specialist team. Transport requires seven 20-foot container lorries, ten open trailer lorries, and one closed trailer lorry. Its 42 passenger cars can be loaded either 3 or 6 at a time, and each car can carry 8 people.[91] Bussink R60 wheels have operated in Australia (Brisbane), Canada (Niagara Falls), France (Paris), Malaysia (Kuala Lumpur & Malacca), UK (Belfast, Birmingham, Manchester, Sheffield), US (Myrtle Beach), and elsewhere.

Other notable transportable wheels include the 60-metre (197 ft) Steiger Ferris Wheel, which was the world's tallest transportable wheel when it began operating in 1980.[92] It has 42 passenger cars,[93] and weighs 450 tons.[94] On October 11, 2010, it collapsed at the Kramermarkt in Oldenburg, Germany, during deconstruction.[95]

Notable transportable Ferris wheel installations:

Name
 		 Height
   m (ft)  		 Years
 		 Country
 		 Location
 		 Coordinates
 
Belfast Wheel
60 (197)
2007-2010
  UK Belfast 54°35′48.77″N 5°55′45.06″W / 54.5968806°N 5.9291833°W / 54.5968806; -5.9291833 (Belfast Wheel)
Brighton Wheel
see article
2011-2016
  UK Brighton 50°49′09″N 0°08′04″W / 50.8191°N 0.1344°W / 50.8191; -0.1344 (Brighton Wheel)
Eye on Malaysia
60 or 62 m
2007-2008
2008-2010
  Malaysia
 Malaysia		 Kuala Lumpur
Malacca		 3°10′39.2″N 101°42′15.68″E / 3.177556°N 101.7043556°E / 3.177556; 101.7043556 (Eye on Malaysia (Kuala Lumpur installation))
2°11′23.4312″N 102°14′29.0034″E / 2.189842°N 102.241389833°E / 2.189842; 102.241389833 (Eye on Malaysia (Malacca installation))
Royal Windsor Wheel
60 m in 2011
various
  UK Windsor, Berkshire 51°29′04″N 0°36′43″W / 51.4845°N 0.6119°W / 51.4845; -0.6119 (Royal Windsor Wheel)
Wheel of Birmingham
60 (197)
various
  UK Birmingham 52°28′44.04″N 1°54′32.49″W / 52.4789°N 1.909025°W / 52.4789; -1.909025 (Wheel of Birmingham)
Wheel of Brisbane
60 (197)
2008-2012
  Australia Brisbane 27°28′31″S 153°01′15″E / 27.4751833°S 153.0209333°E / -27.4751833; 153.0209333 (Wheel of Brisbane)
Wheel of Dublin
53 or 60 m
2010-2011
  Ireland North Wall, Dublin 53°20′50″N 6°13′39″W / 53.3472°N 6.2276°W / 53.3472; -6.2276 (Wheel of Dublin)
Wheel of Manchester
60 (197)
various
  UK Exchange Square, Manchester 53°29′04″N 2°14′35″W / 53.48433°N 2.24310°W / 53.48433; -2.24310 (Manchester Wheel)
Wheel of Sheffield
60 (197)
2009-2010
  UK Sheffield 53°22′52″N 1°28′12″W / 53.3810°N 1.4699°W / 53.3810; -1.4699 (Wheel of Sheffield)
Yorkshire Wheel
see article
various
  UK York
multiple locations - see article

Double and triple wheels

Sky Whirl, an Intamin triple wheel
Hermann Eccentric Ferris Wheel with sliding cars, from US patent 1354436, 1915; forerunner of the 1920 Wonder Wheel, there is no record of it ever being built [6][96]
Wonder Wheel, a 45.7-metre (150 ft) tall eccentric wheel at Deno's Wonder Wheel Amusement Park, Coney Island, was built in 1920 by the Eccentric Ferris Wheel Company [97]
Disney California Adventure Park's Sun Wheel, an eccentric wheel modelled on Wonder Wheel, was built in 2001 and became Mickey's Fun Wheel in 2009 [98]
Big O, a 60-metre (197 ft) tall centreless wheel at Tokyo Dome City in Japan
Cosmo Clock 21, world's tallest wheel 1989 to 1997, and world's largest clock [99]

Swiss manufacturer Intamin produced a series of rides comprising a vertical column supporting multiple horizontal arms, with each arm supporting a Ferris wheel. Custom designed for the Marriott Corporation, each ride had three main components: the wheels with their passenger cars; a set of supporting arms; and a single central supporting column. Each wheel rotated about the end of its own supporting arm. The arms in turn would either pivot or rotate together as a single unit about the top of the supporting column. The axis about which the rotating arms turned was offset from vertical, so that as the arms rotated, each arm and its corresponding wheel was raised and lowered. This allowed one wheel to be horizontal at ground level, and brought to a standstill for simultaneous loading and unloading of all its passenger cars, while the other wheel(s) continued to rotate vertically at considerable height.

The first such ride was Astrowheel, which had two arms and wheels with 8 passenger cars each, and operated at the former Six Flags Astroworld, Houston, Texas, from 1968 until 1980.[100]

Similar wheels included Giant Wheel (Hersheypark, Hershey, Pennsylvania), Zodiac (Kings Island, Mason, Ohio), and Galaxy (Six Flags Magic Mountain, Valencia, California). All were Intamin designs; all are now defunct.

Sky Whirl was the world's first triple Ferris wheel, debuting at both Marriott's Great America parks (now Six Flags Great America, Gurnee, Illinois, and California's Great America, Santa Clara) in 1976. Also known as a triple Ferris wheel,[101] Triple Giant Wheel,[102] or Triple Tree Wheel, it was 33 metres (108 ft) in height.[103] The Santa Clara ride, renamed Triple Wheel in post-Marriott years, closed on 1 September 1997. The Gurnee ride closed in 2000.[104]

Eccentric wheels

Eccentric wheels (sometimes called sliding wheels[105] or coaster wheels[106]) differ from conventional Ferris wheels in that some or all of the passenger cars are not fixed directly to the rim of the wheel, but instead slide on rails between the hub and the rim as the wheel rotates.

The two most famous eccentric wheels are Mickey's Fun Wheel (previously Sun Wheel), at Disney California Adventure Park, US, and Wonder Wheel, at Deno's Wonder Wheel Amusement Park, Coney Island, US.

Mickey's Fun Wheel is 48.8 metres (160 ft) tall[105] and has 24 fully enclosed passenger cars, each able to carry 6 passengers. 16 of the cars slide inward and outward as the wheel rotates, the remainder are fixed to the rim. There are separate boarding queues for sliding and fixed cars, so that passengers may choose between the two.[98] Inspired by Coney Island's 1920 Wonder Wheel, it was designed by Walt Disney Imagineering and Intamin, completed in 2001 as the Sun Wheel, and later refurbished and reopened in 2009 as Mickey's Fun Wheel.[105]

Wonder Wheel was built in 1920, is 45.7 metres (150 ft) tall, and can carry 144 people.[107]

Major designers, manufacturers, & operators

Allan Herschell Company (merged with Chance Rides in 1970) [108]

  • Seattle Wheel (debuted 1962): 16 cars, 2 passengers per car [109]
  • Sky Wheel (debuted 1939; also manufactured by Chance Rides): a double wheel, with the wheels rotating about opposite ends of a pair of parallel beams, and the beams rotating about their centres; 8 cars per wheel, 2 passengers per car [110]

Chance Morgan / Chance Rides [111][112]

  • Astro Wheel (debuted 1967): 16 cars (8 facing one way, 8 the other), 2 passengers per car [113]
  • Century Wheel: 20 m (66 ft) tall, 15 cars, 4-6 passengers per car [112]
  • Giant Wheel: 27 m (89 ft) tall, 20 cars, 6-8 passengers per car [112]
  • Niagara SkyWheel (2006): 53.3 m (175 ft) tall, 42 air-conditioned cars, 8 passengers per car [114]
  • SkyWheel (Myrtle Beach, 2011}: 57 m (187 ft) tall, 42 air-conditioned cars, 6 passengers per car [115]
Eli Bridge Company [116]
Contemporary models include:
  • Signature Series: 16 cars, 3 passengers per car; transportable
  • Eagle Series: 16 cars, 3 passengers per car; transportable
  • HY-5 Series: 12 cars, 3 passengers per car; transportable
  • Aristocrat Series: 16 cars, fixed site
  • Standard Series: 12 cars, fixed site
  • Lil' Wheel: 6 cars, 3 passengers per car; transportable and fixed site models

Great Wheel Corporation [117] (merged with World Tourist Attractions in 2009 to form Great City Attractions Ltd.) [118]

Intamin [119]

Ronald Bussink Professional Rides [120] (formerly Nauta Bussink)

  • R40: 40-metre (131 ft) tall fixed or transportable wheel, 30 cars, 8 passengers per car
  • R50: 50-metre (164 ft) tall fixed or transportable wheel, 36 cars, 8 passengers per car
  • R60: 60-metre (197 ft) tall transportable wheel, 42 cars, 8 passengers per car [91]
  • R66: 66-metre (217 ft) tall transportable wheel, 42 cars; world's tallest transportable wheel, operated by World Carnival [89]
  • R80: 80-metre (262 ft) tall fixed wheel, 56 cars, 8 passengers per car
Senyo Kogyo Co, Ltd.

See also

Drive-in Wheel.jpg
Four-car 30 m tall drive-in Ferris wheel at
Harbourfront, Toronto, Canada, in 2004 [122]
WSJ2007 Swedish Wheel.JPG
Ferris wheel constructed by the Swedish
contingent at the 21st World Scout Jamboree
Cyclecide-ferris-wheel-Bumbershoot07.jpg
Passenger-powered 2-seat Cyclecide wheel
at the 2007 Bumbershoot festival in Seattle
Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Ferris wheels


References

Southern Star, Melbourne, Australia, tallest in the Southern Hemisphere
Texas Star, Dallas, tallest in the Americas
Ferris wheel in Ocean City, New Jersey
Ruota dei Pionieri, Minitalia Leolandia Park, Italy, manufactured by Zamperla
A ride similar to a Ferris wheel, but which inverts its cars and passengers
  1. ^ a b c Still turning – Jacksonville built the world's first portable Ferris Wheel
  2. ^ a b c Eyes in the sky
  3. ^ The travels of Peter Mundy in Europe and Asia, 1608-1667
  4. ^ Wilfrid Blount, Pietro's pilgrimage: a journey to India and back at the beginning of the seventeenth century, Volume 1
  5. ^ explorepahistory.com
  6. ^ a b U.S. Patents for Ferris Wheels
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  8. ^ a b c d e f g Ferris wheels - an illustrated history, Norman D. Anderson
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  10. ^ The Kensington Canal, railways and related developments - British History Online
  11. ^ George Ferris
  12. ^ Wiener Riesenrad - technical data
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  14. ^ a b Great Wheel, Earls Court - English Heritage Images
  15. ^ The Great Wheel, Earl's Court Exhibition Ground
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  17. ^ PhotoLondon: National Monuments Record - The Great Wheel, London
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  31. ^ Mirabilandia - Vivi il Divertimento! Novità 2009 - ISpeed, il nuovo Roller Coaster!
  32. ^ 劍湖山世界 welcome to janfusun fancyworld
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  34. ^ Jeddah Eye
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  49. ^ Obama ad attacks McCain for Baghdad Ferris wheel project being built on land leased by a Democratic Party donor
  50. ^ 2nd highest Ferris wheel in Arab region opened in Zawraa Park
  51. ^ a b Great Dubai Wheel Gets the Green Light
  52. ^ Voyager Entertainment International, Inc.
  53. ^ Voyager Las Vegas
  54. ^ BMA plans to build 'Bangkok Eye' on Chao Phya bank
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  56. ^ Developer to roll out plans for Great Orlando Wheel attraction
  57. ^ Manchester 'monster' wheel plans confirmed
  58. ^ Big wheel returns to city centre
  59. ^ Malacca to get bigger Ferris wheel
  60. ^ Opening delayed for Pepsi Globe Ferris wheel at Meadowlands Xanadu
  61. ^ Panel will advise Gov. Christie on four potential suitors in Xanadu redevelopment
  62. ^ Mamata wants a Kolkata Eye on the lines of London Eye
  63. ^ Eye on "Kolkata Eye"
  64. ^ Asia Times Online - China Business News - China's ill-conceived image projects
  65. ^ Developer spurns Alsop’s £100m Shanghai Kiss
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  67. ^ Project has Muscovites going 'round and 'round - csmonitor.com
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  69. ^ Moscow News - Local - Bringing back the big whee
  70. ^ Кризис закруглится в ЦПКиО - Мегаполис - GZT.ru
  71. ^ Lenta.ru - В России - Для Парка Горького выберут новое колесо обозрения
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  77. ^ We don't use the F-word
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  81. ^ Wheel deal: the London Eye turns 10 - Jonathan Glancey - Art and design - guardian.co.uk
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  84. ^ Welcome to the Southern Star
  85. ^ Work to spin Ferris wheel
  86. ^ Southern Star Observation Wheel profile
  87. ^ Melbourne’s big wheel of misfortune
  88. ^ New Vegas attraction helps Grand Junction's economy
  89. ^ a b Deaths shut The Eye
  90. ^ The History of 'La grande Roue de Paris'
  91. ^ a b Technical Information
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  93. ^ "Steiger Build-Up - Technical data". http://www.riesenrad.de/page.php?rubrik=2&page=0&lang=en. Retrieved 10 June 2010. 
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  96. ^ Ocean County NJ History, Seaside
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  99. ^ Yokohama Accommodation
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  102. ^ Theme Park Timelines
  103. ^ Zoning Board Minutes - 10-25-00
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  106. ^ Coaster wheel
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  108. ^ Chance, Harold (2004). The Book of Chance. Wichita, Kansas: Wichita Press. pp. 31. ISBN 0-9649065-0-3. 
  109. ^ Allan Herschell Seattle Wheel
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  111. ^ Chance Celebrates 50 Years of Fun and Attractions
  112. ^ a b c Chance Morgan
  113. ^ Chance Astro Wheel
  114. ^ One of a Kind ‘Giant Wheel’ Debuts in Niagara Falls, Canada
  115. ^ Myrtle Beach SkyWheel Press and News
  116. ^ Eli Bridge Company :: Jacksonville, IL :: Ferris Wheels
  117. ^ The Great Wheel Corporation | Singapore Flyer | Great Wheel Beijing Orlando Berlin Dubai
  118. ^ World Tourist Attractions, Great Wheel Merge Ahead Of IPO
  119. ^ Intamin - Ride Trade - The Art of Thrill - Giant Wheels
  120. ^ Ronald Bussink Professional Rides
  121. ^ Senyo Kogyo Co, Ltd. - Diamond and Flower Ferris Wheel (Japanese)
  122. ^ canadianarchitect.com - Reinventing the Wheel


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