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
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International Day of the Tropics
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Gemsbok in Namibian sand dunes
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Happy Easter from the ‘peeps’ at Bing
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Manatees rebound
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I m here! Take a look at me!
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Fire-damaged forest near Wolf Creek Pass, Colorado
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Cappadocia, Türkiye
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A wonderland in winter
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Flocking together in the Antarctic
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Ambassadors of the airwaves
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Autumn in the Prosecco Hills
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Terraced fields of green
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An underwater rainbow
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Forward-thinking women of history
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A visit to Limerick on Limerick Day
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World Octopus Day
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A big birthday for Big Bend
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Star Wars Day
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Rockin with the rockhoppers
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Welcome to the drainpipe of the Pacific
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Bridge of Hillsborough County
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Lavender fields on the Valensole Plateau in Provence, France
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Celebrating World Water Day
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A most sincere pumpkin patch
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‘The mountains are calling’
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Let s face it: It s World Emoji Day
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Reflections on the mighty Amazon
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Super sandy Sweet 16
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White Desert National Park, Egypt
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Göreme, Cappadocia, Turkey