Rides and Attractions
Rides are the greatest attractions of amusement parks. By the 19th century many entertainment parks had carousels or merry-go-rounds. They began to become popular during medieval tournaments where knights fought against each other. Later on roller coasters were added to the attractions of amusement parks. They featured steep drops from high altitudes. Roller coastersoriginated from Russian ice slides that were built for the people as early as the 17th century.
Today almost every amusement park has a Ferris wheel. The first original Ferris wheel in the United States was built for the ChicagoExhibition in 1893. It allowed visitors to rise to about 80 meters. Today Ferris wheels are not only located in amusement parks but in other places as well. London Eye, for example, is situated on the Thames River and gives visitors a breathtaking view of London.
Other attractions of amusement parks include twisters and spin-based machines that give visitors a thrilling experience. More and more amusement parks are designing new machines that give their visitors a new feeling. What would an amusement park be without various water rides, especially in the summer when it’s hot? Haunted houses show visitors a variety of mirrors which make them thinner or fatter and cause optical illusions.
Many amusements parks offer their visitors special trains that take them from one attraction to another. Special safety features are built into all of these attractions so that they cannot cause any damage, although accidents sometimes do happen. With the advent of electricity amusement parks opened at night and allowed people working during the daytime to go there too.
Ferris Wheels - Up Into the Sky
A Ferris wheel is a big structure made of steel that stands straight into the sky. Passenger cabins are connected to a moving wheel. The Ferris wheel is also called observation wheel because it takes passengers high up into the sky where they have a great view of the world around them.
The first such observation wheel was built by George Ferris, an American bridge builder. He designed and constructed a big wheel for the Chicago Expositionin1893. His name was used for all the big wheels that were built later.
Ferris’ first wheel was able to carry more than 2000 passengers. It was over 80 meters high and powered by two steam engines. The 37 cabins were able to carry 60 passengers each.
Today, Ferris wheels are big attractions in major cities around the world. Smaller wheels can be found at local fairs, carnivals or theme parks. The world’s biggest Ferris wheel is currently the Singapore Flyer. The wheel reaches 165 meters into the sky and startedrotating in 2008. An even bigger Ferris wheel is being built in Beijing, China. It is planned to reach a height of 208 meters and will start operation some time in 2009.
The biggest observation wheel of the western world is the London Eye. It opened on December 31, 1999 – the last day of the millennium. The wheel takes visitors 135 meters up and gives them a fascinating view of the British capital.
Ferris wheels have played a role in many books and films. Vienna’s Riesenrad may be the star among popular Ferris wheels. The final scene of Graham Greene’s “Third Man” plays there.
