The Ferris wheel was invented by George Washington Gale Ferris Jr., an American civil engineer, for the 1893 World’s Columbian Exposition in Chicago. He designed and built the original steel wheel as a centerpiece to rival the Eiffel Tower.

Key points

• Who: George Washington Gale Ferris Jr. (Feb 14, 1859 – Nov 22, 1896).

• Where and why: Intended as a monumental centerpiece for Chicago’s 1893 World’s Fair, comparable in ambition to the Eiffel Tower.

• Context: While smaller wooden wheels preceded it (notably William Somers’ wheels in 1892), Ferris’ design popularized the term and form of the modern Ferris wheel.

If you’d like, I can pull additional perspectives from historical sources or summarize how Ferris’ wheel influenced later designs.