To avoid humiliation, he said, they needed to come up with “something novel, original ... fragile,” he said. Ferris was hardly the first to imagine such a wheel. In fact, a carpenter named ...

It was also a celebration of and a testament to the Industrial Revolution. The original Ferris wheel was destroyed in 1906, but thousands of similar wheels have been erected through the years.

Ferris’ original wheel soared to a height of 264ft (80m) Credit: alamy The “Ferris Wheel” lasted longer than its creator’s life, fortunes and reputation – but only marginally.

After more than 20 years, the iconic Ferris wheel in Odaiba, Tokyo Bay’s popular commercial district, will cease operations on Aug. 31. But the massive Ferris wheel, one of the largest ever ...