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 Dark Sky Week
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Surf s up—Down Under
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A species no longer at risk
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Fat Bear Week
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A new park with a new mission
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Rapa Valley in Sarek National Park, Sweden
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Mesmerizing murmuration
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World Meteorological Day
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Sea Slug Day
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Christmas Bird Count
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The Crown Jewel of the North Atlantic
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The Christmas Bird Count begins
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Star Wars Day
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Notre-Dame Cathedral reopens
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Hezké svátky
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The Zugspitze: Germany s highest point
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And they’re off!
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Vernazza, Cinque Terre, Liguria, Italy
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From the mind of Frank Gehry
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A tower of light
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Staircase of turquoise pools
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Instant romance
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Where the wildflowers grow
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A treaty for science
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There once was a lighthouse from...
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Canada Day
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Penguin Awareness Day