The Great Wheel of London - London’s First Eye

When the gigantic Great Wheel of London was built for the Empire of India Exhibition, later being used for the Imperial Austrian Exhibition as well, its 94 metres dwarfed any other building. When this behemoth was inaugurated at Earl’s Court on July 17, 1895, it was the largest ferris wheel on Earth, as well as London’s tallest structure. Besides its human passengers, the wheel was also a popular hangout for birds. In fact, in 1900, a cleaning person found a Goldcrest - the smallest bird in Great Britain - roosting inside one of the Wheel’s cars. The wheel was designed by Walter Basset, who was inspired by the 1893 ferris wheel of Chicago, which ran on steam and had forty cars to carry as many people and was considered an engineering marvel at the time. But by the end of the century, the curiosity regarding the wheel faded and it became a silent mostly-unused fixture. It was demolished in 1907 after having carried around 2.5 million passengers during its career. But its end came when, thanks to a malfunction, 74 people were left trapped for four-and-a-half hours. Its steel was sent to South Wales, where it was converted into containers for mustard and cookies.