Eiffel Tower – Ingliando

On this day, the original Ferris Wheel, sometimes also referred to as the Chicago Wheel, first opened to the public as the centrepiece of the World’s Columbian Exposition in Chicago. Intended as a keystone attraction similar to that of the 1889 Paris Exposition’s Eiffel Tower, the Ferris Wheel was the Columbian Exposition’s tallest attraction, with a height of 80.4 metres. Conceived by the architect Daniel Burnham and constructed by George Washington Gale Ferris Jnr., the wheel was a feat of engineering excellence and innovation, modelled on the structural principles of a bicycle wheel and powered by a one-thousand-horsepower steam engine. It took 20 minutes to make two revolutions, the first with six stops to allow passengers to get on and off, and the second a nine-minute, non-stop, rotation, for which the passenger paid 50 cents (equivalent to $17.50 in 2024).

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On this day, Gustave Eiffel celebrated the completion of his most renowned creation by leading a group of government officials and journalists to the top of the Eiffel Tower in Paris. The climb took over an hour as the lifts were not yet operative, but at 2:35 pm, Eiffel hoisted a large French flag to the accompaniment of a 25-gun salute. When the tower opened to the general public on 15th May, it was an instant success with 30,000 visitors climbing to the top before the lifts finally came into service on 26th May. The tower was the centrepiece of the 1889 World’s Fair and by the end of the exhibition on 31st October, there had been 1,896,987 visitors. At the top of the tower there was a post office where visitors could send letters and postcards as a memento of their visit.

Puoi trovare altre brevi notizie storiche QUI