History

Early history

...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.

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!)

Somers' Wheel

The original Ferris Wheel

Antique Ferris wheels

World's tallest Ferris wheels

• 1893: the original Ferris Wheel was 80.4 metres (264 ft) tall. Built for the World's Columbian Exposition in Chicago, Illinois, it was moved to St. Louis, Missouri, in 1904 for the Louisiana Purchase Exposition, and demolished there in 1906.

• 1895: the Great Wheel was built for the Empire of India Exhibition at Earls Court, London, UK, and was 94 metres (308 ft) tall.^[15] Construction began in March 1894^[16] and it opened to the public on 17 July 1895.^[17] It stayed in service until 1906 and was demolished in 1907, having carried over 2.5 million passengers.^[18]

• 1900: the Grande Roue de Paris was built for the Exposition Universelle, a world's fair held in Paris, France. It was demolished in 1920,^[8] but its 100-metre (328 ft) height was not surpassed until almost 90 years after its construction.

• 1920: the Wiener Riesenrad was built to celebrate the Golden Jubilee of Emperor Franz Josef I, at the entrance of the Wurstelprater amusement park in Austria's capital Vienna. Constructed in 1897, when the Grande Roue de Paris was demolished in 1920, the Riesenrad became the world's tallest extant Ferris wheel with 64.75-metre (212 ft), and it remained so for the next 65 years until 1985, its 97th year.

• 1985: Technocosmos, later renamed Technostar, was an 85-metre (279 ft) tall giant Ferris wheel, originally built for the Expo '85 World Fair in Tsukuba, Ibaraki, Japan. Work began on dismantling Technostar in November 2009.

• 1989: the Cosmo Clock 21 was built for the YES '89 Yokohama Exposition at Minato Mirai 21, Yokohama, Japan. Originally constructed with a height of 107.5 metres (353 ft),^[19] it was dismantled in 1997 and then in 1999 relocated onto a taller base which increased its overall height to 112.5 metres (369 ft).^[20]

• 1992: Igosu 108 at Biwako Tower, Shiga, Japan, opened April 26 at 108 metres (354 ft) tall, hence its name. It has since been moved to Vietnam, where it opened as the Sun Wheel on a new base, now totaling 115 metres (377 ft) tall.^[21]

• 1997: the Tempozan Ferris Wheel, in Osaka, Japan, opened to the public on 13 July, and is 112.5 metres (369 ft) tall.^[22]

• 1999: the Daikanransha at Palette Town in Odaiba, Japan, is 115 metres (377 ft) tall.^[23]

• 2000: the London Eye, in London, United Kingdom, is 135 metres (443 ft) tall. Although officially opened on 31 December 1999, it did not open to the public until March 2000, because of technical problems.

• 2006: the Star of Nanchang, in Nanchang, Jiangxi Province, China, opened for business in May and is 160 metres (525 ft) tall.

• 2008: the Singapore Flyer, in Singapore, is 165 metres (541 ft) tall. It started rotating on 11 February, and officially opened to the public on 1 March 2008.

• 2014: the High Roller, in Las Vegas, Nevada, US, is 167.6 metres (550 ft) tall. It opened to the public on 31 March 2014, and is currently the world's tallest Ferris wheel.^[24]

Future wheels

Construction in progress

• The 210 m (689 ft) Ain Dubai (previously name Dubai Eye or Dubai-I^[44][45]) at Bluewaters Island in the United Arab Emirates was announced in February 2013.^[46] At that time construction was planned to begin in June 2013^[47][48] and completion expected sometime during 2015,^[47] at an estimated cost of US$1.6 billion,^[49] and Hyundai Engineering & Construction and Starneth Engineering were appointed as the primary design and construction contractors.^[46][50] Construction eventually began almost two years behind schedule in May 2015^[51] and it is now expected to be completed in early to mid-2019.^[52] Further delays have pushed the target opening to October 20, 2020, coinciding with Expo 2020.^[53]

Unfinished projects

• The 89-metre (292 ft) Turn of Fortune has been under construction in Changzhou, Jiangsu, China, since 2009. The 84-metre (276 ft) diameter structure^[54] could supersede the 60-metre (197 ft) Big O, in Tokyo, Japan, as the world's tallest centreless Ferris wheel, but completion has been repeatedly delayed.

Abandoned projects

• The Skyvue Las Vegas Super Wheel^[55] (or SkyVue—the official website uses both^[56]) was announced as being 145 m (476 ft) tall,^[57][58] and later reported as 150 m (492 ft)^[56] and 152.4 m (500 ft).^{[59][60][61][62]} It was approved by Clark County Commission in March 2011,^[63] and announced at a groundbreaking ceremony in May 2011 that "We expect it to be up and running in time for New Year's 2012".^[57][64] The completion date for its construction on the Las Vegas Strip was subsequently put back several times.^[65][66] As of 2016, no construction work had been done for two years.

• The 190.5 m (625 ft)^[67][68][69] New York Wheel was first reported in June 2012 and officially announced by mayor Michael Bloomberg in September 2012.^[68] Construction at Staten Island, New York City, alongside the planned Empire Outlets retail complex,^[67] was originally planned to begin early in 2014,^[70][71] and completion was originally expected to be in 2015.^[69][71] In October 2014 it was reported that construction would not begin until 2015, with completion delayed until 2017.^[72] This was subsequently further pushed back to April 2018, and then delayed indefinitely after developer NY Wheel fired lead contractor Mammoet-Starneth LLC in July 2017 amid a legal dispute over missed design and construction deadlines.^[73] In May 2018, the developers of the New York Wheel were given a last chance to obtain funding for the project. As per a ruling in Delaware bankruptcy court, the developers had 120 days, or until September 5, to find funding.^[74] However, on September 7, 2018, it was announced that the New York Wheel would not receive $140 million in city funding.^[75][76] The delays caused concern among EB-5 visa investors, who would lose their visas if the project was not constructed.^[77][76] An amendment to the bankruptcy court's ruling gave the developers a final 120-day extension to look for funding. If the developers did not get funding by January 2019, the project would be canceled and no further funding extensions would be given.^[78] On September 21, 2018, mayor Bill de Blasio said that the now-$900-million project would not receive a bailout from the city because it was too risky to support the project with bonds. As such, the city would not support tax free status for a $380 million bond sale to complete the project.^[79][80] Investors refused to proceed with construction without city support, and stated that it would allow the parts for the Ferris wheel to be auctioned off if the city did not provide funding.^[81] Subsequently, investors decided to cancel the project.^[82] At this point, investors had spent $450 million on the project.^[79]

Quiescent proposals

• The 220 m (722 ft) Moscow View, proposed in 2011, was to have featured 48 monorail-mounted passenger capsules, each able to carry 48 passengers, travelling around a centreless non-rotating rim. At that time the timeframe for its construction was unknown and its site within Moscow had yet to be selected,^[83][84][85] though candidates were said to include the All-Russia Exhibition Centre, Gorky Park, Prospekt Vernadskogo, and Sparrow Hills.^[86] In December 2011 the project was reported to be stalled due to lack of City Hall approval.^[87]

• The 208 m (682 ft) Beijing Great Wheel was originally due to begin construction in 2007 and to open in 2008,^[88] but went into receivership in 2010.^[89] It was one of at least five Great Wheel Corporation giant Ferris wheel projects which failed between 2007 and 2010.

• 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.^{[90][91][92][93]} In October 2008, it was reported that Al-Zawraa Park was expected to be the site,^[94] and a 55 m (180 ft) wheel was installed there in March 2011.^[95]

• 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,^[96] but it was subsequently confirmed that it would not be built.^[97] It was one of at least five Great Wheel Corporation giant Ferris wheel projects which failed between 2007 and 2010.

• The 183 m (600 ft) Voyager^[98] was proposed several times for Las Vegas, Nevada.^[99]

• 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.^[100]

• The 175 m (574 ft) Great Berlin Wheel was originally planned to open in 2008 but the project encountered financial obstacles.^[101] It was one of at least five Great Wheel Corporation giant Ferris wheel projects which failed between 2007 and 2010.

• The 150 m (492 ft) Jeddah Eye was proposed in 2008, as part of a development scheduled to open in 2012 in Saudi Arabia. Construction was to have begun in 2009,^[102] but there were no subsequent announcements. It was one of at least five Great Wheel Corporation giant Ferris wheel projects which failed between 2007 and 2010.

• A 137.2 m (450 ft) Ferris wheel project involving Tussauds was considered for New York City's South Street Seaport in 2004, but was never built.^[103]

• The 122 m (400 ft) Great Orlando Wheel was announced in June 2008^[104] but then suspended in early 2009 after losing its funding.^[101] It was one of at least five Great Wheel Corporation giant Ferris wheel projects which failed between 2007 and 2010.

• The 120 m (394 ft) Kolkata Eye^[105] was first proposed in 2011 for construction on the banks of Hooghly River in Kolkata, West Bengal, India. Favoured by Mamata Banerjee, Chief Minister of West Bengal, the project was originally valued at 100 crore rupees.^[106] This had risen to 300 crore rupees by May 2014 when Banerjee tweeted "[it] is expected to be ready in a year's time."^[105] In January 2015 The Times of India reported that the project was "still a pipe dream".^[107]

• 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.^[108]

• The 101-metre (331 ft) Eye on Malaysia, a Chinese-manufactured wheel with 54 passenger gondolas, was scheduled to begin operating in April 2013 at Malacca Island, Malaysia. In November 2012, Chief Minister of the state of Malacca Datuk Seri Mohd Ali Rustam stated that the installation of piles had brought the RM40 million wheel to 15 per cent of completion, and that "the installation of the wheel structure will begin in February [2013]."^[109] Mohd Ali Rustam had previously announced the Malaysia Eye, which conflicting reports stated would be 85 metres (279 ft)^[110] or 88 metres (289 ft)^[111] tall, also to be sourced from China and located at Malacca Island, and to have 54 air-conditioned gondolas, each able to carry six people. It was scheduled to open on December 1, 2011,^[111] but was never built.

• A 91.4 m (300 ft) wheel planned for Manchester, England, for 2008,^[112] was never constructed.

• 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.^[113] 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.^[114]

Observation wheels

• The 167.6 m (550 ft) High Roller, world's tallest since March 2014, has externally mounted motorised capsules of a transparent spherical design,^[58][130] and is described as both a Ferris wheel and an observation wheel by the media.^{[57][58][131][132]}

• The 165 m (541 ft) Singapore Flyer has cylindrical externally mounted motorised capsules and is described as an observation wheel by its operators,^[133] but was also credited as "world's largest Ferris wheel" by the media when it opened in 2008.^[134][135]

• The 135 m (443 ft) London Eye, typically described as a "giant Ferris wheel" by the media,^[136][137] has ovoidal externally mounted motorised capsules and is the "world's tallest cantilevered observation wheel"^[138] 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."^[138] However the Singapore Flyer subsequently billed itself as the "world's largest observation wheel", despite being supported on both sides,^[139] and the official londoneye.com website also refers to the London Eye as "Europe's tallest Ferris wheel".^[140]

• The 120 m (394 ft) Melbourne Star (previously the Southern Star) in Australia has ovoidal externally mounted motorised capsules and is described by its operators as "the only observation wheel in the southern hemisphere",^[141] but also as a Ferris wheel by the media.^{[142][143][144]}

Transportable wheels

Double and triple wheels

• Cosmo Clock 21, world's tallest wheel 1989 to 1997

• Ruota dei Pionieri, Minitalia Leolandia Park, Italy (manufactured by Zamperla^[165])

• A ride similar to a Ferris wheel, but which inverts its cars and passengers

• Four-car 30 m tall drive-in Ferris wheel at Harbourfront, Toronto, Canada, in 2004^[166]

• A wheel constructed by the Swedish contingent at the 21st World Scout Jamboree

• Passenger-powered 2-seat Cyclecide wheel at the 2007 Bumbershoot festival in Seattle

Eccentric wheels

Major designers, manufacturers, and operators

• Seattle Wheel (debuted 1962): 16 cars, 2 passengers per car^[171]
• Sky Wheel (debuted 1939; also manufactured byChance 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^[172]

• Astro Wheel (debuted 1967): 16 cars (8 facing one way, 8 the other), 2 passengers per car^[175]
• Century Wheel: 20 m (66 ft) tall, 15 cars, 4-6 passengers per car^[174]
• Giant Wheel: 27 m (89 ft) tall, 20 cars, 6-8 passengers per car^[174]
• Niagara SkyWheel(2006): 53.3 m (175 ft) tall, 42 air-conditioned cars, 8 passengers per car^[176]
• Myrtle Beach SkyWheel(2011): 57 m (187 ft) tall, 42 air-conditioned cars, 6 passengers per car^[177]

Eli Bridge Company^[178]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

• Singapore Flyer: 165 m (541 ft) tall, completed 2008; world's tallest 2008 to 2014
• Beijing Great Wheel: 208 m (682 ft) tall, was supposed to open in 2008, went into in receivership,^[89] never built
• Great Dubai Wheel: 185 m (607 ft) tall, planning permission granted in 2006, was supposed to open in 2009,^[96] never built
• Great Berlin Wheel: 175 m (574 ft) tall, was supposed to open in 2008,^[101] never built
• Great Orlando Wheel: 122 m (400 ft) tall, project halted in 2009,^[101] never built

• Mickey's Fun Wheel: aneccentric (sliding) wheel
• Giant Wheel: adouble wheel
• Sky Whirl: atriple wheel
• The Wheel at ICON Park Orlando

• Moscow-850, a 73-metre (240 ft) tall wheel in Russia; Europe's tallest extant wheel when completed in 1997, until 1999
• Eurowheel, a 90-metre (300 ft) tall wheel in Italy; Europe's tallest extant wheel when completed in 1999, until the end of that year

Wheels of Excellence range (sold to **Vekoma** in 2008) has included:

• R40: 40-metre (131 ft) tall fixed or transportable wheel, 15 or 30 cars, 8 passengers per car
• R50: 50-metre (164 ft) tall fixed or transportable wheel, 18 or 36 cars, 8 passengers per car
• R60: 60-metre (197 ft) tall transportable wheel, 21 or 42 cars, 8 passengers per car^[151]
• R80: 80-metre (262 ft) tall fixed wheel, 56 cars, 8 passengers per car

Bussink Design:

• R80XL: 78-metre (256 ft) tall fixed or transportable wheel, 27 16-person cars, or 54 8-person cars

• Melbourne Star: 120 m (394 ft) tall, completed 2008, rebuilt 2009–2013

Senyo KogyoCo, Ltd.

• Cosmo Clock 21: 107.5 m (353 ft) tall, completed 1989; world's tallest 1989 to 1997;^[19] 112.5 m (369 ft) tall when re-erected in 1999^[20]
• Diamond and Flower Ferris Wheel: 117 m (384 ft) tall, world's second tallest when completed in 2001^[186]
• Tempozan Ferris Wheel: 112.5 m (369 ft) tall, completed 1997; world's tallest 1997 to 1999^[19]

World Tourist Attractions / **Great City Attractions**^[187] / **Wheels Entertainments**^[188] / Freij Entertainment International^[189]

• Belfast Wheel
• Brighton Wheel
• Roue de Paris
• Royal Windsor Wheel
• Wheel of Birmingham
• Wheel of Brisbane
• Wheel of Manchester
• Wheel of Sheffield
• Yorkshire Wheel

See also