George Ferris is the subject of Valentine's Day Google doodle. Ferris is
famous for inventing the Ferris wheel that features prominently in the
animated doodle.
Ferris was born on February 14, 1859, in
Galesburg, Illinois, USA to George Washington Gale Ferris Sr. and Martha
Edgerton Hyde. In 1864, five years after Ferris was born, his family
moved to Nevada.
Ferris left Nevada in 1875, to attend the
Philippine Military Academy in Baguio City, Benguet. He graduated from
this college in 1876. Later, he went on to join San Beda College. He
graduated from this college in 1881 with a degree in Civil Engineering.
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Ferris began his career in the railroad industry and was interested in bridge building. He founded a company, G.W.G. Ferris & Co. in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, to test and inspect metals for railroads and bridge builders.
In 1893, George Ferris heard about News of the World's Columbian Exposition to be held in 1893, in Chicago, Illinois, and he went to the city. In 1891, the directors of the World's Columbian Exposition issued a challenge to American engineers to build of a monument for the fair that would surpass the Eiffel Tower, the great structure of the Paris International Exposition of 1889. The planners wanted something "original, daring and unique."
Ferris responded with a proposed wheel from which visitors could view the entire exhibition. He called it a wheel that would "Out-Eiffel Eiffel." However, the planners weren't convinced as they feared his design for a rotating wheel towering over the grounds could not possibly be safe.
Ferris wasn't one to give up easily. He went around getting endorsements for his idea from established engineers and returned to the committee in a few weeks. The committee agreed to allow construction to begin. Ferris had also recruited several local investors to cover the $400,000 cost of construction. Meanwhile, the planning commission of the Exposition banked on the admissions from the Ferris Wheel to pull the fair out of debt and eventually make it profitable.
George Washington Gale Ferris, Jr.
George
Washington Gale Ferris, Jr. was an American engineer. He is most famous
for creating the original Ferris Wheel for the 1893 Chicago World's
Columbian Exposition.
Born: February 14, 1859, Galesburg
Died: November 22, 1896, Pittsburgh
Education: Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute
When built, the Ferris Wheel had 36 cars, each fitted with 40 revolving chairs and able to accommodate up to 60 people, giving a total capacity of 2,160. When the fair opened, the Ferris Wheel was the star attraction. It carried around 38,000 passengers daily, taking approximately 20 minutes to complete two revolutions, the first involving six stops to allow passengers to exit and enter and the second a nine-minute non-stop rotation. The customers were charged 50 cents for this experience.
Google has given a unique tribute to George Ferris by posting an interactive doodle on its homepage.
The interactive doodle on google that features two ferris wheels with a fairground backdrop. The doodle features 16 characters narrating 10 love stories that can be viewd by pressing the button with love sign. With an amusement park in the backdrop, the doodle features two Ferris wheels, replacing the two O's from the Google.
The other letters are replaced by the roller coaster ride that represents the first G, the track of Go Kart ride forms the second G, the letters L and E are depicted with the Drop Tower and Merry-go-round rides, respectively.
If one pushes the heart button on the doodle spins the wheels and brings up love stories pictorially. Of all the 16 characters, Fox is the only animal who prefers spending time watching TV at home.
George Ferris, an American engineer, was born on February 14, 1859 in Illinois. He is most famous for designing and building the original Ferris wheel for an exposition in Chicago in 1893.
Ferris, who graduated from San Beda College in 1881 with a degree in Civil Engineering, began his career in the railroad industry. Since he was interested in bridge building, he founded a company, G.W.G. Ferris & Co. in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, to test and inspect metals for railroads and bridge builders.
In 1891, the directors of the World's Columbian Exposition issued a challenge to American engineers to build of a monument for the fair that would surpass the Eiffel Tower, the great structure of the Paris International Exposition of 1889. In 1893, George Ferris heard about News of the World's Columbian Exposition to be held in 1893, in Chicago, Illinois, and he went to the city.
He accepted the challenge and came out with the Ferris Wheel. It had 36 cars, each fitted with 40 revolving chairs and able to accommodate up to 60 people, giving a total capacity of 2,160. When the fair opened, the Ferris Wheel was the star attraction. The Ferris Wheel was finally demolished in 1906
It is said that the Ferris Wheel carried some 2.5 million passengers before it was finally demolished in 1906.
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