Ferris wheels are one of the most iconic rides in amusement parks and fairgrounds around the world. But the name “Ferris wheel” has a surprisingly dramatic backstory.
You might assume the ride is named after its inventor.
But according to one version of the story… it might actually be named after someone who stole the idea.
Let’s rewind to the 1890s.
The Chicago World’s Fair and the Need for a Big Attraction
In 1893, the Chicago World’s Columbian Exposition wanted a show-stopping attraction.
The fair organizers were hoping for something just as spectacular as the Eiffel Tower, which had debuted at the 1889 Paris Exposition.
Enter a charismatic engineer named George Washington Gale Ferris Jr.
Ferris proposed an enormous steel observation wheel—something that had never been built at that scale before.
According to the story he told the press, he supposedly sketched the design on a napkin at a Chicago steakhouse.
The Forgotten Inventor: George Summers
But here’s where things get interesting.
Three years earlier, a man named George Summers had already built a similar ride in Atlantic City called the Observational Roundabout.
It was a wooden observation wheel that allowed riders to go up high and take in views of the boardwalk.
And guess who vacationed in Atlantic City shortly before presenting his idea?
George Ferris.
The Rival Wheel at the World’s Fair
Summers was understandably upset that Ferris received the credit—and the fame—for the giant wheel at the Chicago fair.
So he decided to take matters into his own hands.
Summers traveled from New Jersey to Chicago and built his own wooden observation wheel outside the gates of the fair.
It was essentially a protest attraction.
Unfortunately for Summers, it didn’t change anything.
Visitors still called Ferris’s massive ride a “Ferris wheel,” and that name stuck for every version that followed.
Why We Still Call It a Ferris Wheel
Even though earlier observation wheels existed, Ferris’s design at the Chicago World’s Fair was the one that became globally famous.
His giant steel wheel captured the public’s imagination and set the standard for modern observation wheels.
So despite the controversy, the name “Ferris wheel” became permanent.
Watch the Reel
https://www.instagram.com/reel/CpJLd0Qr5ez/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link&igsh=MzRlODBiNWFlZA==
Final Thoughts
Theme park and amusement park history is full of stories like this—brilliant ideas, rival inventors, and a little bit of drama.
Whether you’re riding a giant observation wheel in Las Vegas or a classic one at a seaside boardwalk, you’re experiencing a piece of amusement history.
For more surprising theme park facts and stories, follow @themeparkette.