“It was an odd gathering of people who wander
They had the look of a highlander!
Screams And laughter filled the air!
’twas not a movie but just the town fair!”
When we were young (er!) going to these exhibitions were a big thing! The best things were the cotton candies and the spicy fried fritters! Not to mention those split decision purchases made like the boat which worked only when the guy shows or the multi blade kitchen knife which used to cut like magic in the show but the moment we tried it at home; it could not even cut a tomato! Another often bought and never used contraption were the famous vegetable mincers or slicers! Out kitchen would have dozens of shapes and sizes and color but none of them have seen a vegetable in its life! My mother always used to say that cutting is made easy with them but to wash the mincer later was a big and irritating task!
One of the things which kids used to love during those days were the rides! Since I was not too much into those rides though, I have never appreciated them! But now when you think about it, they were the center of attraction! The different colors and blinking lights used to look so magical! In fact the fair was a big affair if the chief ride was big and imposing! The bigger the ride, the better the deals!
In fact if you can see the big ride in the center from very far then the deal is done!
Did you know that there are at least two structures now which are actually world famous but are the direct result of such fairs and exhibition!
One such fair was held long back called the Exposition Universelle of 1889, better known in English as the 1889 Paris Exposition, and was a world’s fair held in Paris, France, from 5 May to 31 October 1889!
It was the fifth of ten major expositions held in the city between 1855 and 1937.
It attracted more than thirty-two million visitors.
Of course that is a great number but what was remarkable is that there was a structure built for the fair which stood
This tower was 330 metres (1,083 ft) tall!
During its construction, the Tower surpassed the Washington Monument to become the tallest human-made structure in the world and it was the first structure in the world to surpass both the 200-metre and 300-metre mark in height!
You may know this tower as the Eiffel Tower!
When such an imposing structure was made in Paris, how can Chicago be far! So in one fair an engineer George Washington Gale was given the task of making a big ride to rival the Eiffel tower and this one must move!
So George designed a big ride which was around 80 meters was an large imposing structure and an instant hit! Plus the added bonus is that it could be dismantled and built in other fairs of the world! It later became the center ride of most fairs all over the world!
The full name of the engineer was George Washington Gale Ferris, Jr!
And yes! The name of the ride of the wheel is The Ferris Wheel!
Ferris thus got the task of coming up with something “daring and unique.” This kind of amusement park wheel had been designed before, but not at this scale. Ferris’s wheel was 250 feet in diameter and it carried 36 cars, each with a capacity of 60 people! History is strange indeed! Strange (r) also is the amazing series Stranger things starring birthday celebrity David Kenneth Harbour!
Now think about the upside down in stranger things and lie down!
Shubh ratri!
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