George Ferris (Ferris Wheel)
George Ferris was born in 1859 in Galesburg, Illinois. He is known for inventing the original Ferris Wheel that was the centerpiece of Chicago's World's Columbian Exposition in 1893. Ferris was an engineer who specialized in railroad and bridge projects. The Great Ferris Wheel he designed was an amazing invention. At 825 feet in circumference, the iron pieces were so big that they had to be forged at different factories around the country. When the pieces came together in Chicago, they all fit together exactly as designed. The wheel worked perfectly throughout the entire fair and over one million people rode the attraction. George Ferris died in 1896.