The traveling carnival, now often looked at nostalgically, is thought to have begun at the 1893 Chicago World’s Fair. Early carnivals weren’t always seen in a positive light, though. They got a reputation for offering what some considered “unsavory diversions” like freak shows and rigged games, and for sometimes shady business practices, including bribing local authorities.
Despite the controversies, people loved carnivals, mainly because of the exciting rides. Many popular rides were invented or improved in the early 20th century. Let’s explore the interesting stories behind 10 well-known carnival attractions.
10. Roller Coaster
The roller coaster’s ancestor was the Russian ice slide. These were long, icy ramps—about 600 feet long—that people would speed down on sleds. To ride, thrill-seekers would climb a 70-foot tower. At the end, a parallel slide would return them to the starting point.
In 1784, Catherine the Great had wheels and grooved tracks added to the coasters, allowing them to be used year-round at her palace. In 1817, the French enhanced the ride by locking cars onto the tracks at Belleville Mountain in Paris. Later, Aerial Walks introduced a system to pull the cars back up for more rides.[1]
9. Carousel
Thomas Bradshaw created the first steam-powered carousel in 1861. However, the carousel itself is much older. Originally known as a merry-go-round, the early versions were made of wood, and the horses were stationary. Live animals or people powered the circular platform.
In 1870, Frederick Savage added a “galloping mechanism,” using a steam engine to turn a drive shaft with a cog. This cog turned an angled bevel gear on an upright pole, which moved a ring gear in the canopy, making the carousel spin. Savage also made the horses rise and fall at different times and hang at various heights, enhancing the ride’s appeal.[2]
8. Ferris Wheel
The Ferris wheel was designed to showcase American engineering at the 1893 World’s Fair. George Washington Gale Ferris, an engineer, took inspiration from the bicycle wheel. His wheel had its lower half suspended from the axle by spoke rods, while the upper half was supported by the lower half.
Ferris’s design made the wheel incredibly stable, weighing 1,200 tons. He even rode to the top during a severe storm with winds of 100 miles per hour to prove its safety. A ride cost fifty cents and was an instant hit, with riders thrilled by the experience.[3]
7. The Witching Waves
Jeffrey Stanton explains that the Witching Waves ride originated from the public’s fascination with automobiles. People wanted to ride in or drive cars, and Theophilus Van Kannel’s invention catered to this desire, becoming available at Coney Island in 1910.
The Witching Waves features a large oval course with a flexible metal floor. Hidden levers beneath create a wave-like motion, propelling cars steered by riders. The ride was even featured in the 1917 film “Fatty” in Coney Island, where the cars moved erratically, collided, and spilled passengers, creating comedic chaos.[4]
6. The Whip
W.F. Mangels, a maker of carousels and other carnival rides, invented the Whip in 1914. It consists of an open, horseshoe-shaped car with a rounded front. One to three passengers sit on a bench with a safety bar as the car follows a circular track. Arms attached to the cars periodically “whip” them back and forth.
Several Whip rides are still around today, including those at Dorney Park & Wildwater Kingdom in Allentown, Pennsylvania, and Kennywood Park in West Mifflin, Pennsylvania. Though manufacturers made several versions over the years, they are no longer in production.[5]
5. Bumper Cars
In the early 1920s, Max Stoehrer and his son Harold patented an “Amusement Apparatus” that became known as Dodgem cars. They equipped the cars with “novel instrumentalities” that made them difficult to control, causing them to collide unpredictably.
The Stoehrers offered riders the thrill of safe car crashes. Partnering with Ralph Pratt, they started a company to build floors and roofs for customers to operate the cars on, adding improvements with additional patents in 1920, 1921, and 1923.[6]
4. Tilt-a-Whirl
Richard Kautz, author of “The Science of Predictable Random Motion,” calls Herbert Sellner’s 1926 invention, the Tilt-a-Whirl, a “devilish contraption.” Each car is mounted on its own circular platform that moves along a track with three hills.
The cars aren’t rigidly attached to the platforms but can rotate around a central pivot point, introducing chaos. As a result, riders whirl clockwise and counterclockwise randomly, keeping them in suspense and sometimes regretting that pre-ride hot dog.[7]
3. Bumper Boats
In a 1997 article, Seth Gussow explained that bumper boats were inspired by the Stoehrers’ bumper cars in the 1930s. Like the cars, the boats were successful because they gave people their first chance to operate a powerboat.
A partnership between the Dodgem Corporation and the Lusse Company mirrored Pratt and Stoehrer’s approach, selling the bumper boats. The Philadelphia Toboggan Company (PTC) constructed a channel for the boats. Like bumper cars, bumper boats were a hit.[8]
2. Rotor
Ernst W. Hoffmeister of Hamburg, Germany, invented, owned, and operated the Rotor, which Anton Schwarzkopf built and debuted in 1955. In the United States, the Velare Brothers were assigned the rights to build portable Rotors, while the Anglo Rotor Corporation got the rights to stationary models.
The ride uses centrifugal force to pin riders to the walls of a wooden cylinder until it reaches optimal speed. Then, the floor lowers, leaving riders stuck to the wall. As the ride ends, the cylinder slows down, and riders slide down to the lowered floor. The Rotor’s invention fit into the trend of developing thrilling rides to attract visitors with novel experiences. Today, you can still find versions of the Rotor at carnivals under different names, like the Round-Up and the Gravitron.[9]
1. Bounce House
Inspired by inflatable tent covers he designed for tennis courts, American engineer John Scurlock invented the inflatable tent design of the bounce house in 1958. While working on the covers, he noticed his employees enjoyed jumping on the inflated surfaces. This gave him the idea to make an inflatable play structure for jumping and bouncing.
Scurlock’s invention offered a fun way for kids to play and burn energy. Bounce houses became popular at parties and amusement parks, providing a safe place for physical activity.
However, subsequent designs have faced scrutiny. After a Little Tikes Jump n’ Slide went airborne in high winds, injuring two children, safety became a concern. Experts recommend close supervision, limiting use to kids of the same size, securing the house to the ground, and avoiding use in high winds. The Mayo Clinic warns of injuries ranging from sprains to head trauma and emphasizes constant supervision.[10]
From Russian ice slides to modern bounce houses, carnival rides have evolved in fascinating ways. Each ride has a unique history, reflecting innovation and the enduring desire for thrilling entertainment.
What’s your favorite carnival ride? Share your thoughts in the comments below!
