Ferris wheel

A large upright rotating wheel carries passengers in cabins around its rim, lifting them in a circle to provide elevated views.

Ferris wheel drive system: A motor-and-gear assembly that turns a Ferris wheel’s rim or supporting structure. It supplies the torque that moves cabins steadily around the wheel.
George Washington Gale Ferris Jr.: An American civil engineer who designed the first major Ferris wheel for the 1893 World’s Columbian Exposition. His name became attached to the ride he designed for Chicago’s exposition.
Observation wheel: A large wheel designed chiefly to offer elevated views, often with enclosed cabins and slow rotations. It adapts the Ferris wheel form for sightseeing rather than a traditional fairground ride.
Carousel: An amusement ride with seats or figures rotating around a central axis, usually on a horizontal platform. Unlike a Ferris wheel, it circles passengers around a vertical axis without lifting them through a tall arc.
Ferris wheel gondola: A passenger cabin suspended from a Ferris wheel’s rim, typically designed to remain upright as the wheel turns. Its pivoting suspension keeps riders level while the rim rotates.
World’s Columbian Exposition: A world’s fair held in Chicago in 1893 to mark the 400th anniversary of Christopher Columbus’s arrival in the Americas. The exposition commissioned the original Ferris wheel as a landmark attraction.
London Eye: A cantilevered observation wheel on the River Thames in London, opened in 2000. It shows how a wheel can become both a city attraction and a recognizable landmark.
Giant wheel: A very large passenger-carrying wheel, often built as a permanent observation attraction. The label is often used for modern wheels that differ in scale and design from fairground rides.
Ferris wheel bearing: A machine element that supports a rotating shaft or structure while reducing friction. Large bearings let the wheel turn under the combined load of its structure and passengers.
Original Ferris Wheel: The 1893 Chicago wheel designed by George Washington Gale Ferris Jr., standing about 264 feet tall. It established the ride’s basic form and demonstrated its scale.

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