The Origins of 10 Delightful Carnival Rides

You know GEICO’s customer service delights customers, but how well do you know where these delightful amusement staples got their starts?

1. FERRIS WHEEL

The Ferris wheel made its debut at the 1893 World’s Columbian Exposition in Chicago. At least that’s what George Washington Gale Ferris, Jr. always said. One year earlier, William Somers designed and built three wooden wheels-each measuring 50 feet in diameter-in New York and New Jersey. Both men owed a debt to the similar, yet awkwardly named, wooden “pleasure wheels” invented in 17th century Bulgaria.

2. BUMPER CARS

Electric cars may seem like a modern advancement, but we’ve been driving them-and more importantly, crashing them-for a century. There's some dispute over who invented the road-raging carnival favorite, but one thing all scholars can agree on: how difficult early versions were to steer.

3. CAROUSEL

Carousel rides with wooden horses were first used to give horseback riding lessons to Turkish and Arabian cavalry members. When crusaders returned to Europe, they brought the device back with them. The spinning attraction became especially popular in France, where 17th century riders tried to pierce a target while moving at high speed. The power source? Actual horses!

4. THE ROLLERCOASTER

Although the first patent went to LaMarcus Thompson in 1885, he wasn’t the first person to make a roller coaster. Modern roller coasters descended from “Russian Mountains,” winter sled rides that were popular in 17th century St. Petersburg. (Situated on icy hills, the sleds topped out at 200 feet!). Meanwhile, in the states, a Pennsylvanian mining company constructed a “gravity railroad” in 1827 to move coal. But on slow workdays, they charged thrill-seekers to take it for a spin.

5. TUNNEL OF LOVE

Unmarried couples of the late 19th century needed a place to canoodle in public. Love - or, at least hormones - found a way with the boom of so-called carnival "dark rides." As couples wound through the tunnel of love by water or tracks, they were treated to alternating moments of romance (to set the mood) and fright (to encourage an arm over the shoulder).

6. THE MECHANICAL BULL

Until the 1970s, mechanical bulls were strictly used to train cowboys and rodeo competitors. Early practice bulls were basically large barrels suspended from four ropes (people could jostle the barrel by tugging on the ropes or using a pulley mechanism.) The mechanical version, however, was popularized by a Texas businessman who wanted to make his bars more popular.

7. THE WHIP

Patented in 1914, the first whip was made for Coney Island. The attraction-which tamely slings riders around an oval-is rare nowadays, but you can find original models scattered around some old-school parks.

8. THE WIPEOUT

The giant, revolving ride that moves around, up, and down in a wave-like fashion was originally a German attraction known as the Trabant. American innovators brought a bigger and better version stateside, dubbed it The Wipeout, and the rest is history ... as long as you're 48" tall.

9. TILT-A-WHIRL

The ride that launched a thousand stomachaches sprang from the mind of woodworker and waterslide maker Herbert W. Sellner in 1926. It made its debut at the Minnesota State Fair one year later. The story goes that Sellner experimented with the ride’s design by placing a chair on his kitchen table, making his son sit in it, and then rocking the table. The ride is now manufactured in Texas.

10. THE SCRAMBLER

The Twist. The Gee Whizzer. The Grasscutter. That which we call a Scrambler has many names, because naming it The Ride That Looks like It’s Going to Collide into Other Cars, AHHHHHH! Is too cumbersome. This frightening/fun ride was first produced in the UK in 1959. Since then, each decade has given it a new name and pattern of motion, but the thrill's the same.