A jukebox!  If you walk into a themed restaurant where they have jukeboxes, it’s still a thrill. The thought of choosing some tunes that remind us of our teen years can’t help but bring back fun memories. 

But times have changed. We all have phones that carry a multitude of our favorite songs, and personal earbuds let us listen anytime and anywhere to what we want.  Opportunities for communal listening are rare. 

When the first jukeboxes (then called “nickel-in-the-slot phonographs”) were created, it was very exciting. The first version played music from a single cylinder. Only the machine owner could change it. What’s more, there was no way to amplify the sound. To listen, the customers inserted a nickel and then had access to one of four listening tubes attached to the machine.

These phonographs were far from the jukeboxes of today, but they were a great novelty.

Who Thought of the Jukebox?

The inventor of the first nickel-in-the-slot phonograph was a man named Louis Glass (1845-1924). He grew up in northern California, and as soon as he could work, he took a job as a telephone operator. (Young boys were initially hired as operators because telephones were expected to replace the need for messengers. The boys proved to be too rambunctious to work in offices since the telephones were not yet very busy. Soon women were hired.)  Glass held the job long enough to set aside savings that he put toward investing in telephone companies in Oakland and San Diego.

Glass also worked as an agent of the Edison General Electric Company and was manager of Pacific Phonograph Company when it was founded in 1889. As a result, he was very familiar with Edison’s inventions. He often demonstrated the Edison phonograph for prominent San Francisco citizens.

Thomas Edison initially envisioned the phonograph as a machine that would be used for playing back information in an office setting. But Glass, working with business associate William S. Arnold, was experimenting with another use for the machine. What if they could rig it to be a coin-operated music-playing machine?

Music-Playing Machine

As early as 1871, inventors created mechanical toys that operated when coins were inserted. This likely inspired Glass and Arnold. The machine they used for their device was the Edison Class M electric phonograph.  If someone deposited a coin in the box attached, this activated the cylinder so that music played. Unfortunately, there was no way to amplify the sound. Listeners had to use one of four listening tubes attached to the machine, inserting the tube in their ear.

An article in Popular Mechanics described the machine as “encased in a lead-lined oak cabinet. It had a 25-lb sulfuric acid battery that provided electricity through wires to the motor.”  The cylinder needed to be changed manually by an operator.

Despite these drawbacks, Glass and Arnold were excited by their invention. They got permission to install the first “nickel-in-the-slot” machine in a San Francisco bar near their offices, called the Palais Royale (1889).

Glass told others that during the first 6 months, the machine made $1000. This was an astounding amount of money for the day. Bar owners likely received a percentage of the take, but having one of the phonographs in their establishment would also help build traffic and sell more drinks.

One bar owner had a worthy suggestion: He said that in order for the device to be installed in his establishment, he wanted the recording to add a line at the end: “Go over to the bar and get a drink…”

Over the next 18 months, Glass approached other locations and placed at least 13 more of these devices. They were in bars, restaurants, and even ferries traveling between Oakland and San Francisco. 

Changes and New Uses

There were no great advancements on these devices for awhile, but there were new uses. Carnivals were thrilled to have a new attraction to feature, so they purchased them and created new cylinders with their own offerings. Because they were hands-on with the machines, they could record new songs or silly speeches and lure customers back again and again.

The Next Advance

The next big change in the coin-operated music machine was spearheaded by a man named John Gabel. He was 12 when he and his family arrived in America from Slovakia in 1884. He eventually moved to Chicago and worked for a company manufacturing calculators. From there he moved on to a novelty company that made coin-operated vending machines.

In 1898, he left the company and started The Automatic Machine and Tool Company, also selling vending devices.

Gabel was convinced he could create a coin-operated music machine that offered choices. The machine was patented in 1906 as the “Automatic Entertainer” and was a marvel.

“The Automatic Entertainer”

The machine had two stacks of 12 10-inch records, offering 24 selections.  The customer used a large dial on the front of the cabinet to choose a song. When a customer deposited a coin, the wonder began. A mechanical arm retrieved the selected record from its stack and placed it on the turntable. The tone arm came down on the outer rim of the chosen record, and the song began to play.

Needles on these machines became dull very quickly and could damage the next record. Gabel created a system where the needles changed automatically. At the end of the record, the old needle dropped out of the tone arm, and a new one was put in place automatically from a “birdcage-like structure” on the side.

Gabel’s other innovation was the addition of a large horn to amplify the sound emanating from the machine. This was a huge leap forward.

The Automatic Entertainer not only offered customers a choice of songs, but it offered a way to amplify sound.  Gabel’s system was soon being placed in bars and dance halls.

New Companies

Justus Seeburg’s (1871-1958)  background was in manufacturing player pianos.  As records were produced, he knew it was time to change his business model and step away from the player pianos. His early phonograph combined an electrostatic loud speaker with a coin-operated record player.  It had eight separate turntables mounted on a rotating Ferris wheel-like device that permitted patrons to select from eight different 10-inch 78 rpm records.

In 1938, Seeburg introduced the Symphanola “Trashcan” jukebox.  It held 20 10-inch 78s that slipped into a shallow drawer when chosen and that drawer rose up to meet the playing arm.

Seeburg created the first device that could play 45s. It had a sideways moving carriage for pulling the requested records.

Perhaps most memorably, the Seeburg company created the iconic table-mounted machines from which customers could select  jukebox choices remotely.

Wurlitzer Jukeboxes

The Wurlitzer name is strongly associated with the jukeboxes of  memory.

The Wurlitzer family had a long history in the music business. In Europe the family was well-respected for making musical instruments. They came to the United States and settled in Cleveland in 1853.  They continued to make instruments but by the late 1930s, the company added jukeboxes to their line.

Wurlitzer’s biggest contribution to the industry may have been the design work. They hired a man named Paul Fuller who came to the company from store design and started with Wurlitzer in 1935. His design ideas forever changed the look of jukeboxes.

His most famous and often-copied model was the 1015, known as the Bubbler. The Wurlitzer 1015 offered a choice of 24 records (78s). It was introduced in 1946. In the following two years, Wurlitzer sold an astounding 56,000 units.

All of Fuller’s designs featured finely polished wood with spectacular designs in chrome, colored plastic, and glass. The Bubbler featured ornate, Art Deco touches. The most distinctive feature of the 1015 was a set of eight transparent, colored tubes on either side of the grille. Inside these tubes, a heated fluid created a continuous stream of bubbling action. The unit’s glass section also held revolving, spotlighted pieces of colored plastic, adding to its visual appeal.

Customers could see into the jukebox and watch the machine move to pull the record that they selected.

And Then There Was Rock-ola

Rock-ola was founded in 1927 by David Cullen Rockola. The company initially manufactured coin-operated scales, slot machines, and pinball games for amusement parks and arcades.

Rock-ola introduced its first jukebox in 1935. It, too, featured great looking jukebox cases that were perfect for what became the “Golden Age of Jukeboxes.” (1940-50s)

And certainly, the company name was an asset as rock-and-roll became part of the culture. Who wouldn’t want a jukebox from “Rock-ola?”

 Today Rock-ola is the last jukebox maker in the business. They are the main suppliers of the Johnny Rocket-themed restaurants. There are more than one hundred diners in the U.S. and a reported 225 worldwide.

The Name “Jukebox”

For almost 40 years, the industry resisted calling these phonographs “jukeboxes.”  “Juke” came from the Gullah (Creole) language, and “juke joint” referred to a place for music and dancing (and perhaps drinking and gambling).  But eventually, the catchier name of jukebox replaced the very awkward “automatic coin-operated phonograph.”

The Military and Music

Jukeboxes changed the music world in many ways, and one of them happened because of the way jukeboxes were used on military bases.

The military in World War II needed an unimaginable number of soldiers, so both the Army and the Navy accepted people from all parts of the country representing many ethnicities. All of them had different tastes in music.

 Jukebox makers saw that their machines needed to offer a wide variety of choices. Soon jukeboxes were loaded with records featuring American blues, gospel music, country music and pop records. 

Over time, musicians, too, began answering this need. Music began combining styles and tempos to grow into the ever-changing music we hear today.

Jukeboxes and the Record Business

In the 1940s, 75 percent of all records manufactured went directly to jukeboxes. It was an important market-testing device for new music. Jukeboxes could tally the number of plays for each title.  Those that were popular on the jukeboxes also sold well to the public. It was a win-win situation. Record producers loved them.

Jukebox “play” during the 1950s, became so significant that Billboard magazine began printing a weekly record chart that listed jukebox plays. 

The music industry also took lessons from what worked and what didn’t. They soon saw that the most popular songs had memorable words and catchy tunes. Listeners particularly loved a chorus that repeated frequently. That way, even if they couldn’t remember some of the verses of a song, they could join in on the chorus.  

Times Change

While most of us still enjoy buying a hamburger at a 1950s-style diner with a jukebox, customers are no longer reliant on this for their music. 

First came in-home record players and radios. Then came the transistor radio. Suddenly people had “music in their pockets.” 

Today of course, the easy availability of digital music is almost all anyone knows. Despite that, the jukebox is still an enormously fun stroll down memory lane.

James A. Bailey (1847-1906) was the lesser-known but equally important partner in the Barnum & Bailey Circus, a full-scale spectacle that delighted young and old. It was known as “the greatest show on earth.”  Though Barnum died in 1891, and James Bailey died in 1906, the circus continued beyond their lifetimes, eventually being acquired by Ringling Brothers.

The length of the partnership was brief, but both men brought a lifetime of experience in entertainment to the circus business. Barnum & Bailey significantly influenced the world of entertainment then and for many years to come.

P.T. Barnum devoted himself to finding people that entertained. He sometimes exaggerated the stories behind these people, but it was all intended to increase the fun.  James Bailey operated with a different motto: “Give the people the best—spare no expense in doing it—and they’ll reward you.” 

James Bailey’s Early Life

Born James Anthony McGinnis in Detroit, Michigan, Bailey was one of seven children. They were orphaned during childhood.  (His father died when James was two; his mother when he was eight.)  James was sent to live with his married, eldest sister, Catharine. 

New details of Bailey’s childhood came to light in the 1980s when an unpublished biography, written by his brother-in-law, was found in a descendant’s basement. Circus historian A.H. Saxon gained access to the material and reports that Bailey was beaten frequently while living with his sister and brother-in-law. Bailey eventually left home to look for work. He became a bellhop at a hotel in Pontiac, Michigan. 

One summer a one-ring circus, Robinson & Lake, came to Pontiac. James met the general manager, Fred Harrison Bailey (a nephew of the Somers menagerie owner Hachaliah Bailey), who hired the boy to post circus bills around town.  James began to work regularly for Fred Bailey and soon took the older man’s surname. 

Bailey’s early circus career was interrupted by the Civil War where he served as sutler (a provision manager) for the 114^th Ohio Infantry.  By age 21, he was back in the circus business returning to Robinson & Lake. The elder John Robinson died shortly after Bailey returned. With William Robinson’s blessing, Fred Bailey gave James Bailey the role of managing the Lake & Robinson circus.      

Business Growth

In 1868, James Bailey married Ruth Louisa McCaddon of Zanesville, Ohio. A short time later, he bought an interest in another circus that came to be known as Cooper & Bailey. By the late 1870s, Bailey merged with or purchased several other shows and had become quite afore in the entertainment world.

Taking on Barnum

James Bailey knew that his most fearsome competition was a circus based in Bridgeport, Connecticut, run by P.T. Barnum. In 1880, Bailey decided to challenge Barnum’s dominance. He took his circus to P.T. Barnum’s backyard: Bridgeport, Connecticut. 

To Barnum’s consternation, Bailey’s circus outsold Barnum’s, taking in $2 to every $1 of Barnum’s show.  Rather than continue to compete head-to-head, Barnum proposed a merger.  Bailey took over management of business affairs, while Barnum focused on showmanship. Together they created “the greatest show on earth.”

Barnum & Bailey

Though Barnum is generally given credit for bringing Jumbo, an English elephant to the U.S., it was actually Bailey who thought of it and worked it out.  The story is a perfect example of how the two men coordinated their talents and built the business.  See “How Jumbo Joined the Circus.”

Circus Finances

Though James Bailey died with an estate of about a million and a half dollars ($22.6 million in today’s money), the financial records for the circus reveal that running the shows was a constant struggle. (This report on the financial circumstances of the circus comes from historian Richard Conover who sifted through the McCaddon Collection of Bailey materials at Princeton University in the 1950s.) 

In the contemporary press (including the obituaries for Bailey) where the circus press agent could work a little magic, Bailey was known for his retiring nature, his admirable personal conduct, and his unflagging generosity to his employees. Some of the articles highlighted what was described as a true employee benefit, an opportunity for staff members to invest in the circus.  However, research conducted by historians Conover and Saxon show the stock investment plan in a different light. Bailey needed a continuing infusion of money. 

More on Money and Personality

In “New Light on the Life of James A. Bailey,” by A.H. Saxon (Bandwagon, November-December 1996), Saxon reviews a previously unknown “biography” of Bailey, written by his brother-in-law, Joseph T. McCaddon. While McCaddon’s description of Bailey is very positive, Saxon’s knowledge of the “back story” of some of the events show that Bailey sometimes made hard choices at the expense of his employees. After the circus traveled South America, Bailey announced that it would be too expensive to pay for everyone to travel home. He left most of the performers on their own to find ways to return to the U.S.

Continued Without Barnum

P.T. Barnum died in 1891, but James Bailey kept the business going.  The circus continued to travel throughout the United States on 85 railroad cars, employing more than 1,000 people, and maintaining a large traveling menagerie.  

Bailey also worked with the Buffalo Bill’s Wild West Show. The idea man behind that show was Nate Salsbury, who also created and ran Black America that was staged in Brooklyn’s Ambrose Park in 1895. Perhaps because Salsbury was focused on the new show, the Wild West show needed help.  Bailey was asked to step in to invest and help run the show. Bailey’s forte was logistics, and he improved on the Wild West schedule. He also arranged for them to tour Europe for a time. This was another way to bring in more money.

Bailey also invested some of his own money in the Cody-Salsbury operation.  When Bailey died and it became clear that Bill Cody owed money to the estate, Cody scraped together funds from other sources. He bought back Bailey’s interest in the show.

Bailey’s Final Illness

In 1906, Bailey was living at the estate he built in Mount Vernon. He loved being there and treasured the fact that he could sleep at home while still supervising the latest installation of the circus in Madison Square Garden. 

In early April, Bailey became ill. The press reports state that Bailey developed erysipelas, an acute streptococcus bacterial skin infection.  This condition is rarely fatal but there were no antibiotics at that time. Nine days later when Bailey attempted to go back to work, he suffered a “sinking spell.”  According to an unsourced obituary, Bailey spent his final afternoon expressing to his wife (his sole heir), his brother-in-law, who was part of the circus management team, and the circus treasurer, how the circus should manage without him.  He was very clear that though his health was failing, the circus needed to go on.  

According to the article, his one regret was that he was not going to live until Orphans’ Day, April 17, an annual ritual he instituted because of his own background. 

How They Remembered Him

News of his death reached Madison Square Garden just before show time. Despite the profound grief of the circus staff and performers, the performance continued. 

Orphans’ Day, too, was held a little over a week later.  The New York Times reported that even the “ticket speculators” tipped their hat to Bailey for his reputation of good will and generosity.  That year, the speculators bought all the available peanuts from the street vendors.  They had them bagged and distributed free to the orphans as the children arrived to see the show.   

The funeral for James Bailey was held mid-April, and he was interred in Woodlawn Cemetery. John and Alfred Ringling made a point of attending the services to meet Bailey’s widow and heir. 

By July 1907, the Ringling Brothers worked out a contract to purchase Ruth Bailey’s interest in the circus. Though Ringling Brothers took over the company in 1907, they did not combine the shows until 1919. Ringling Brothers Barnum & Bailey dates to that time. 

The first Ferris Wheel—known as the Big Wheel—was constructed for the Chicago World’s Columbian Exposition in 1893. It dazzled and then it was gone.

This world’s fair was to celebrate the 400-year anniversary of Christopher Columbus’s voyage to the New World.  (Columbus was viewed differently at that time.) The fairgrounds were slated for Jackson Park, a little-used part of Chicago on the south shore of Lake Michigan. Organizers felt it would revive and bring business to the area.

The architect hired to be the on-site director of the Exposition was Chicago architect Daniel Burnham. Other planning luminaries were to join him, including landscape architect Frederick Law Olmstead, and architects Charles McKim and Richard M. Hunt.

As the group made plans, all eyes were on the Paris Exposition of 1889. The creation of the magnificent wrought-iron Eiffel Tower put Paris on the map for tourists and continues to be admired. (It was a featured part of the 2024 Summer Olympics.)  All of the men wanted something that would out-shine the Eiffel Tower.

What could compete?

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A Challenge

In 1891 at a luncheon of engineers meeting in Chicago, Daniel Burnham offered a challenge: He wanted the men (and it was a room filled with men) to submit awe-inspiring ideas that could be featured at the Chicago Exposition.

He wanted something “original, daring, and unique”—something stunning and memorable  that would bring people to Chicago.

George Ferris Had a Plan

George Washington Gale Ferris, Jr., a Pittsburgh civil engineer and bridge builder, attended the luncheon where Burnham issued the challenge. Ferris had an idea that he felt could work.  

 Over the course of the following winter, Ferris submitted his plan to the committee for a Big Wheel—a giant structure almost 300 feet tall. It would rotate vertically with 36 cabins (gondolas) carrying passengers.

He envisioned it as part amusement park ride and part observation tower. Riders would be able to see spectacular views of the surrounding city and lake. The height was only one-third of the Eiffel Tower but the ride would provide the thrill of a lifetime.

Ferris’s idea garnered little support among committee members. As Burnham worked on the gracious urban plan he foresaw for the White City, the idea of an oversized steel structure—even one that moved– did not appeal to him.

Initially, Burnham and his committee rejected all the suggestions they received, including that of the Big Wheel. The planners actually made fun of Ferris, referring to him as “the man with wheels in his brain.”

At some point, the Wheel was described as a giant black spider web. That wasn’t what Burnham had in mind.

Who Was George Ferris?

George Washington Gale Ferris Jr. was born in 1859 in Galesburg, Illinois. The town was founded by George Washington Gale, a Presbyterian minister. Both Ferris and his father were named for the town founder.

Despite family roots in Illinois, Ferris’s father decided to move west. He had knowledge of landscaping and horticulture. In 1864, when the family settled in Carson City, Nevada, he was hired to help plan the town, bringing in many plants from the East.

George Ferris Jr.’s interests lay elsewhere. He wanted to learn how things worked. For high school, he attended a military academy in Oakland, California, and then he enrolled at Rensselaer Polytechnical Institute in Troy, New York, He graduated from RPI in 1881 with a degree in civil engineering. His passion was for bridge building. His first job was with a railroad company where he worked building train bridges.

A few years later, he founded his own company, G.W.G Ferris & Company, based in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. His specialty became testing and inspecting metals for railroad and bridge builders. He consulted for companies nationwide.

What About the Big Wheel?

There was nothing particularly new about a vertical rotating wheel. Water wheels date to Mesopotamia and were an early source of power was employed until water power could be replaced by electrical power. What was different was the size and the use of the Wheel. Ferris was not first in seeing it as an entertainment mechanism.

At about the time that Ferris was working on his plans, a carpenter named William Somers installed three 50-foot wooden wheels (described as vertical merry-go-rounds) at amusement parks around New York and New Jersey (Asbury Park and Atlantic City, New Jersey, and Coney Island, New York.) In 1893, Somers received a patent for what he called the “Roundabout.”  (US Patent 489238A)

Somers’s plan was for a vertical carousel. The patent does not specify the size of the cabins (the seats for riders), but in an old photograph from the 1890s, it would appear that Somers’s roundabouts provided bench seating for 2-3 people—much like what Ferris wheels feature today.

Ferris was said to have ridden on one of Somers’s wooden roundabouts, but because he must have already been working on his design, the experience may have simply confirmed what he was thinking.

More About Ferris’s Plans

Ferris heard Burnham’s call for something “big,” and his plans were for a wheel that would extend 264 feet in the air with cabins that could hold sixty riders in each unit. When fully filled with passengers, 2160 riders could be aboard the giant ride.

The plans specified the construction of two 140-foot steel towers to support an axle with two parallel wheels. These towers were spaced 30 feet apart and connected by metal bracing that held the dual wheels together.

The axle needed would be the largest ever forged. It was to be made in Pittsburgh and was 45 feet long and 32 inches in diameter. It weighed almost 90,000 pounds. The wheels would be powered by two 750-horsepower engines. As they turned on the axle, they traveled on what appeared to be a large bicycle chain.

The cabins for passengers would be made of wood but were glass-enclosed. They hung from iron clamps on rods  between the two giant wheels. Double doors would provide entry into the space, and a conductor would ride in each cabin. The conductor served the dual purpose of being there to answer questions but also to keep people calm if someone became anxious.

Time Ticked By

The months were passing, and there was still no decision from Burnham. Ferris spent $25,000 of his own money to work out plans and create models of the Wheel. He also received some initial investment from others. As he went forward, he could assure Burnham that the Exposition would not have to bear the full cost.

In late December 1892, Daniel Burnham still had not selected the proposal for the “one big thing” for the Exposition. He knew he needed to take action.

As the fairgrounds took form, the buildings were all being designed in white in a Classical Revival style of architecture. The planners were referring to the area as the White City.

Burnham realized he needed to make a decision, and Ferris was the best offer he’d had. However, Daniel Burnham did not want the Big Wheel in the heart of his stunningly beautiful fairgrounds.

There was going to be a Midway on Central Avenue. Burnham decided the best thing to do was give Ferris the okay but put the Wheel on the Midway.

Moving Forward

But how was this going to be accomplished? Bridges took years to build. How was a moving wheel that needed to be safe for passengers going to be completed in fewer than six months?

Ferris was a gifted engineer who knew his vision was sound. Because he worked from detailed plans, he was able to spring into action quickly. 

At that time, Ferris was head of Pittsburgh Iron Manufacturing Company and was also often called upon for bridge inspections. This gave him knowledge and connections to steel manufacturers. These connections were key to getting the Big Wheel underway.

When the go-ahead came, Ferris knew he needed four thousand tons of steel—more than any one plant could assemble quickly. He took his detailed plans, and he farmed out assignments to nine large steel plants. As the sections were built, they were shipped to Chicago for assembly.

The foundation was the next challenge.

Building the Foundation

Ferris hired L.V. Rice to work as construction supervisor for the foundation, which would be expected to hold 1300 tons (or two million pounds). There would be eight struts (two towers) supporting the 45-foot axle around which the two giant connected wheels would circle.

Rice and Ferris knew the foundation needed to be deep to hold that tonnage. If the Big Wheel was to be ready by a spring opening, the foundation would need to be dug starting in January despite the cold Chicago winter (negative 10 degrees on many days).

Initially, Rice dynamited the ground to start the foundation pit. After three feet of dirt was removed, Rice began piping in steam heat so the men could dig. The pit was planned for 35 feet below the surface to be sure there was sound footing. The steam heat kept the cement from freezing prematurely as they laid the foundation from below.

As the pieces arrived from the various steel mills, workers assembled the parts. At night, 1400 (one source said 2500) incandescent lights shone brightly over the fairgrounds, the city, the lake and the prairie.

Ultimately the Big Wheel cost $380,000 to build. At 264 feet (80.4 meters) high, it was the largest wheel in the world– five times the size of the largest wooden “pleasure wheels” of the day.

The Opening

The Big Wheel was not quite ready when the Columbian Exposition first opened but guests didn’t have to wait much longer. The Big Wheel was open for operation by June 21, 1893. The first riders were invited guests, but soon regular passengers began paying 50 cents per ticket.

The Wheel was a huge hit. It took 20 minutes to complete two revolutions. There were two platforms where passengers could board or get off the ride. The first revolution was for loading and unloading the cabins. The second revolution was made without stopping so people could travel full circle with no interruption.

Nearly 1.5 million Ferris Wheel tickets were sold throughout the fair, slightly more than the population of Chicago at the time.

Amazingly, it ran without a hiccup—totally trouble-free— all the way through to the closing of the Exposition on October 30, 1893. It was a perfect experiment that was copied widely at amusement parks throughout the country.

Refund Requested

In a newspaper article of the day (The Chicago Inter Ocean, August 2, 1893), Ferris told a reporter that after 300,000 riders had experienced the Big Wheel, one customer approached him for a refund.

 When Ferris asked why the fellow wanted his money back, the man said he felt cheated because there was no sensation of movement.

Ferris was delighted. In all his planning, his goal was to provide a seamless ride. The fellow was cheerfully given a refund on the ticket.

The Exposition Closing

When the Exposition closed, George Ferris and his investors were unhappy with their financial take. Ferris entered into the project having already arranged for much of the funding. The final agreement was that Ferris would retain $300,000 from the sale of the tickets, after which the gross receipts were to be split between Ferris and the Exposition.

When the Exposition ended, Ferris began litigation.

What Else to do with the Wheel?

During that time, the company was looking for where else the Wheel could operate. Finally, a new site in Chicago was found. It took 86 days to dismantle it and more time to set it up. The next location was on Clark Street near Lincoln Park where hotels and retail were to be built. But nothing ever happened. The Wheel sales suffered.

On to St. Louis

When the Louisiana Purchase Exposition in St. Louis was in the planning stages for its 1904 opening, the Big Wheel was a logical addition to the St. Louis fairgrounds. It was a success there but when the Exposition closed, there was no one left to champion the magnificent Big Wheel. It was blown up with dynamite and then chopped up and sold for scrap.

What had happened to Ferris? He met an unfortunate end. In early 1896 when he was only 37 years old, he became ill from typhoid fever and was admitted to Mercy Hospital in Pittsburgh. He died November 22, 1896.

Success or Failure?

So was the Big Wheel a success or a failure when compared to the Eiffel Tower?

At first one would think the Eiffel Tower was the most successful icon. It still stands and attracts millions of tourists each year and played a prominent role in the 2024 Summer Olympics. 

But its success lies in its singularity. There was no need for others to replicate the Eiffel Tower. The one in Paris was good enough.

But the Big Wheel?  Even at only one-third of the height of the Eiffel Tower, it was a marvel. Today we have Ferris wheels (as they came to be known) at every amusement park around the world. In addition, there are gigantic observation wheels like the London Eye, the Singapore Flyer, and the High Roller in Las Vegas.

If success is measured in imitation, then one has to say that the Big Wheel—the Ferris Wheel—in Chicago is the true victor.

To read about another creation/invention of this era, read about Who Thought of the Statue of Liberty?

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Special thanks to historian Douglas Westfall for encouraging me to dig out my file on the Ferris Wheel. Doug’s company, The Paragon Agency, specializes in publishing first-person narratives that bring the past to life. Check his website for hundreds of offerings.

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