The story of the Ferris wheel, first invented for the 1893 World’s Fair in Chicago, is a prime example of human ingenuity in urban environments, which happened to be the theme of our most recent photo contest. Congrats to contest winner Chris Fabregas, who captured this shot of human ingenuity in action on the Santa Monica Pier in California. Santa Monica debuted its Ferris wheel here in 1996 and then adapted it two years later to make it the world’s first solar-powered Ferris wheel, using clean energy for the ride that propelled about 800 passengers an hour. In 2014 it was replaced with a newer version that sports 174,000 LED lights, providing for glittering nighttime scenes just like this.
Ingenuity in action on the Santa Monica Pier
Today in History
More Desktop Wallpapers:
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A viewer with a view
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Mada in Saleh, Saudi Arabia
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A most sincere pumpkin patch
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A festival of lights in India
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Whooper swans in Lake Kussharo, Japan
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Nakupenda Beach Nature Reserve, Zanzibar, Tanzania
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South Stack Lighthouse, Holy Island, Wales
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World Book Day
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Engineering an artificial harbor in Normandy
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Amphitheatre of El Jem, Tunisia
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Abbey Gardens in Bury St Edmunds, England
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Whatever floats your boat
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Monteverde Cloud Forest Reserve in Costa Rica
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Is that a smile?
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It’s Endangered Species Day
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A peek behind the royal curtain
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Presidents hear the echo of history
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April Fools Day
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Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month
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A leafy seadragon in the waters off Wool Bay, Australia
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World Rivers Day
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Birds of a feather
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The persistence of Perito Moreno
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Winter Olympics in Beijing
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Ruins of Inca temples and terraces on Huayna Picchu, Peru
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From garden to table?
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Class, please take out a No. 2 pencil…
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Let’s go foraging
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What the hay?
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The globe skimmers return