Technocosmos , later renamed Technostar , was an 85-metre (279 ft) tall giant Ferris wheel that was built for the Expo '85 World Fair in Tsukuba, Ibaraki , Japan . It carried almost 3 million passengers during the exposition.
78-450: Technocosmos had an overall height of 85 metres (279 ft), a diameter of 82.5 metres (271 ft), and took 15 minutes to complete a revolution. Each of the 48 passenger cars could carry 8 people and was equipped with solar panels to power its air conditioning. When it began operating, Technocosmos was the World's tallest extant Ferris wheel . At that time, the tallest Ferris wheel ever built
156-413: A Big Wheel , Giant Wheel or an observation wheel ) is an amusement ride consisting of a rotating upright wheel with multiple passenger-carrying components (commonly referred to as passenger cars, cabins, tubs, gondolas, capsules, or pods) attached to the rim in such a way that as the wheel turns, they are kept upright, usually by gravity . Some of the largest modern Ferris wheels have cars mounted on
234-652: A Roman traveller who sent letters from Constantinople , Persia, and India, attended a Ramadan festival in Constantinople. He describes the fireworks, floats, and great swings, then comments on riding the Great Wheel: I was delighted to find myself swept upwards and downwards at such speed. But the wheel turned round so rapidly that a Greek who was sitting near me couldn't bear it any longer, and shouted out "soni! soni!" (enough! enough!) Similar wheels also appeared in England in
312-491: A cantilever arm. The cantilever arm was supported in the middle by a tall vertical support, and the cantilever arm itself rotated around its middle pivot point. The design was similar to the earlier Aeriocycle, but the double wheel patented by Courtney allowed the cantilever arm to make a complete rotation, while the Aeriocycle was limited to a seesaw motion. Courtney continued to file additional patents on improved designs through
390-643: A firm that tested and inspected metals for railroads and bridge builders. The wheel rotated on a 71- ton , 45.5-foot (13.9 m) axle comprising what was at that time the world's largest hollow forging, manufactured in Pittsburgh by the Bethlehem Iron Company and weighing 89,320 pounds (40,510 kg), together with two 16-foot-diameter (4.9 m) cast-iron spiders weighing 53,031 pounds (24,054 kg). There were 36 cars, each fitted with 40 revolving chairs and able to accommodate up to 60 people, giving
468-525: A large number of these projects have stalled or failed. Incomplete, delayed, stalled, cancelled, failed, or abandoned proposals: Nippon Moon, described as a "giant observation wheel" by its designers, was reported in September 2013 to be "currently in development". At that time, its height was "currently undisclosed", but "almost twice the scale of the wheel in London". Its location, an unspecified Japanese city,
546-487: A major strategic fortification, governed by the protospatharios Nikephoros Xiphias . In the middle 11th century, the city was attacked by the Pechenegs , who occupied it briefly around 1090. The city continued to prosper, with the walls restored in the 12th century, during which the historian and politician Niketas Choniates was its governor and the physician Michael Italikos was its metropolitan bishop . According to
624-469: A network of orthogonal gravel streets. Some of the streets had pavements, curbs and cambers to accommodate rain water drainage. The intersecting streets formed rectangular city blocks ( insulae ) with residential and public buildings. A great number of public buildings were built such as theatre , agora , and temples . The first city wall of Philippopolis was built as early as the 4th century BC and fragments of this fortification system are visible today on
702-455: A peak of approximately 80 feet (24 m). The height and popularity of the Sky Wheel was eclipsed by larger single wheels in the late 1980s and early 1990s, and it has since largely disappeared from common use. As of 2018 , there are four known Sky Wheels that remain in operation. In March 1966, Thomas Glen Robinson and Ralph G. Robinson received a patent for a Planetary Amusement Ride, which
780-461: A story of a vibrant, growing city with numerous public buildings, shrines, baths, theatres and a stadium. The large scale of public construction during the Flavian Dynasty (69-96 AD) led to the city being named Flavia Philippopolis. Hadrian (r. 117–138) visited the city as part of his tour of the empire and a triumphal arch was erected outside the east gate in his honour. In 172, a second wall
858-463: A time, and each car can carry 8 people. Bussink R60 wheels have operated in Australia ( Brisbane ), Canada ( Niagara Falls ), France ( Paris ), Malaysia ( Kuala Lumpur & Malacca ), México ( Puebla ), UK ( Belfast , Birmingham , Manchester , Sheffield ), US ( Atlanta , Myrtle Beach ), and elsewhere. Other notable transportable wheels include the 60-metre (197 ft) Steiger Ferris Wheel , which
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#1733085024340936-515: A total capacity of 2,160. The wheel carried some 38,000 passengers daily and took 20 minutes to complete two revolutions, the first involving six stops to allow passengers to exit and enter and the second a nine-minute non-stop rotation, for which the ticket holder paid 50 cents. The Exposition ended in October 1893, and the wheel closed in April 1894 and was dismantled and stored until the following year. It
1014-505: A wheel equipped with externally mounted motorised capsules. In the centreless (sometimes called hubless or spokeless) wheel design, there is no central hub and the rim of the wheel stays fixed in place. Instead, each car travels around the circumference of the rim. The first centreless wheel built was the Big O at Tokyo Dome City in Japan. Its 60-metre (197 ft) height has since been surpassed by
1092-591: Is a surviving example of 19th-century Ferris wheels. Erected in 1897 in the Wurstelprater section of Prater public park in the Leopoldstadt district of Vienna , Austria , to celebrate Emperor Franz Josef I 's Golden Jubilee , it has a height of 64.75 metres (212 ft) and originally had 30 passenger cars. A demolition permit for the Riesenrad was issued in 1916, but due to a lack of funds with which to carry out
1170-470: Is estimated at 43,000 m per day. Notable buildings that can be seen today are the: The enormous Great Basilica with its magnificent floor mosaics has been excavated over many years and is now preserved in a new museum (2021). Recent excavations have revealed a 1st c. triumphal arch, only the 2nd in Bulgaria. In 2018, a fragment from a Roman statue with an ancient Greek inscription was found which mentions
1248-526: Is one of Vienna's most popular tourist attractions , and over the years has featured in numerous films (including Madame Solange d`Atalide (1914), Letter from an Unknown Woman (1948), The Third Man (1949), The Living Daylights (1987), Before Sunrise (1995) and novels. Chronology of world's tallest wheels Timeline 116°45'04"E Following the huge success of the 135-metre (443 ft) London Eye since it opened in 2000, giant Ferris wheels have been proposed for many other cities; however,
1326-548: Is one of the names of the ancient city (amongst which are Thracian Eumolpia/Pulpudeva, Roman Trimontium) situated where Plovdiv is today. The city became one of the largest and most important in the region and was called "the largest and most beautiful of all cities" by Lucian . During most of its recorded history , the city was known by the name Philippopolis ( Ancient Greek : Φιλιππούπολις , romanized : Philippoúpolis , lit. 'Philip's city') after Philip II of Macedon . Philippopolis became part of
1404-575: Is shown by new large buildings on the acropolis (Trimontium) and also across the plain, such as the eastern baths and large Basilica. However, it was destroyed again by Attila 's Huns in 441–2 and by the Goths of Theodoric Strabo in 471. Philippopolis fell to the Bulgars of the First Bulgarian Empire in 863, during the reign of Boris I ( r. 852–889 ), having been briefly abandoned by
1482-599: Is the 167.6-metre (550 ft) High Roller in Las Vegas, Nevada , which opened to the public in March 2014. The term Ferris wheel comes from the maker of one of the first examples constructed for Chicago's World's Columbian Exposition by George Washington Gale Ferris Jr. in 1893. Modern versions have been called observation wheels . In 1892, when the incorporation papers for the Ferris Wheel Company (constructors of
1560-476: Is the considerably more massive one, has been partially restored on Komatevsko Shose. It is the only one standing today in Bulgaria. Piers are also visible at the Roman stadium. Recent excavations have revealed more of the piers dating from the 2nd c. AD. It is assumed that the three aqueducts converged on the western slopes of Djendemtepe into a distribution tank ( castellum aquae ) which seems to have been destroyed in
1638-504: Is the use of twin sided support and gravity-oriented capsules. "Pleasure wheels", whose passengers rode in chairs suspended from large wooden rings turned by strong men, may have originated in 17th-century Bulgaria. The Travels of Peter Mundy in Europe and Asia, 1608–1667 describes and illustrates " severall Sorts of Swinginge used in their Publique rejoyceings att their Feast of Biram " on 17 May 1620 at Philippopolis (now Plovdiv ) in
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#17330850243401716-851: The Expoland amusement park in Suita , Osaka Prefecture , and renamed Technostar. Expoland has since permanently closed. Work began on dismantling Technostar in November 2009, and it had been removed from the Osaka site by the end of the following month. In Suita city, a new wheel was opened in 2016 called the Redhorse Osaka Wheel ; as part of Expocity created in 2015. For other quiescent (incomplete, delayed, stalled, cancelled, failed, or abandoned) proposals, see: Ferris wheel#Quiescent proposals World%27s tallest Ferris wheel A Ferris wheel (also called
1794-568: The Ottoman Balkans . Among means " lesse dangerous and troublesome " was one: like a Craine wheele att Customhowse Key and turned in that Manner, whereon Children sitt on little seats hunge round about in severall parts thereof, And though it turne right upp and downe, and that the Children are sometymes on the upper part of the wheele, and sometymes on the lower, yett they alwaies sitt upright. Five years earlier, in 1615, Pietro Della Valle ,
1872-547: The Roman empire and capital of the Roman province of Thracia . According to Ammianus Marcellinus , Philippopolis had a population of 100,000 in the Roman period. Philippopolis was in a fertile region on the banks of the Maritsa River (the ancient Hebrus ). The city historically developed on seven syenite hills, some of which are 250 metres (820 feet) high, because of which Plovdiv is often referred to in Bulgaria as "The City of
1950-771: The Third Crusade , Frederick I camped in Philippopolis from 26 August to 5 November 1189. The city was destroyed by Kaloyan of Bulgaria ( r. 1196–1207 ) in 1206 and rebuilt thereafter. In 1219, the city became the capital of the Crusader Duchy of Philippopolis , part of the Latin Empire . The Second Bulgarian Empire recovered the city in 1263, but lost it to Byzantine control before recapturing it in 1323. The Ottoman Empire conquered Philippopolis ( Turkish : Filibe ) in 1363 or 1364. The layout of Philippopolis
2028-1052: The 145-metre (475.7 ft) high Bailang River Bridge Ferris Wheel on the upper deck of the Bailang River Bridge in Shandong Province , China, which opened in 2017. The first centreless wheel in North America opened in January 2019 at the indoor Méga Parc in Quebec City , Canada. The 23.5 m (77 ft) wheel at Méga Parc was designed and manufactured by Larson International. Transportable Ferris wheels are designed to be operated at multiple locations, as opposed to fixed wheels which are usually intended for permanent installation. Small transportable designs may be permanently mounted on trailers , and can be moved intact. Larger transportable wheels are designed to be repeatedly dismantled and rebuilt, some using water ballast instead of
2106-635: The 1500s. The generic term "Ferris wheel", now used in American English for all such structures, has become the most common type of amusement ride at state fairs in the United States. The tallest Ferris wheel, the 250-metre (820 ft) Ain Dubai in the United Arab Emirates , opened in October 2021 but is no longer in operation. The current record holder since 2014 of a Ferris wheel in operation
2184-523: The 17th century, and subsequently elsewhere around the world, including India, Romania, and Siberia. A Frenchman, Antonio Manguino, introduced the idea to America in 1848, when he constructed a wooden pleasure wheel to attract visitors to his start-up fair in Walton Spring, Georgia . In 1892, William Somers installed three fifty-foot wooden wheels at Asbury Park, New Jersey ; Atlantic City, New Jersey ; and Coney Island , New York. The following year he
2262-563: The 1950s to make them more portable, and at about the same time, the Velare brothers patented the "Space Wheel", a side-by-side double with four total Ferris wheels. The design was later sold to the Allan Herschell Company in 1959 and marketed as the "Sky Wheel"; the first sale as the Sky Wheel was to 20th Century Rides in October 1960. The Sky Wheel seated up to 32 riders in 16 two-person cars, with 8 cars per wheel, and riders reached
2340-428: The 1st and 4th centuries for use as a small theatre. Three aqueducts of 22 km length supplied mainly the lower part of the city, while the hills relied on wells and rainwater tanks. The aqueducts run in parallel in the neighbourhood of the suburb of Komatevo at a separation of 30-40m, one a pipeline of clay pipes and two carried partially overhead on arches. A section of the bridge of the "western" aqueduct, which
2418-711: The 2nd-3rd millennium BC have been discovered, while the Thracian town Eumolpias was established between the 2nd and the 1st millennium BC. The walled town was built by the Thracian tribe of the Bessi . In 516 BC during the rule of Darius the Great , Thrace was included in the Persian empire . In 492 BC the Persian general Mardonius ruled Thrace again, and it became nominally a vassal of Persia until
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2496-600: The Christian inhabitants in 813 during a dispute with the khan Krum ( r. c. 803 – 814 ). After this the settlement contracted, though it remained a major city, with the city walls rebuilt and new Christian basilicas and Roman baths constructed in the 4th century. During the Byzantine–Bulgarian wars , the emperor Basil the Bulgar-Slayer ( r. 960–1025 ) used Philippopolis as
2574-581: The Great 's rule resulting in neither victory, nor defeat, but stalemate. Under Macedonian suzerainty the Thracian kings re-established their kingdom and started to exercise influence again. The city was destroyed by the Celts as part of the Celtic settlement of Eastern Europe , most likely in the 270s BC. In 183 BC Philip V of Macedon conquered the city, but shortly afterwards the Thracians re-conquered it. In 72 BC
2652-760: The Latin historian of the Fourth Crusade , Geoffrey of Villehardouin , Philippopolis was the third largest city in the Byzantine Empire, after Constantinople ( Istanbul ) and Thessalonica ( Thessaloniki ). It suffered damage from the armies passing through the city during the Crusades as well as from sectarian violence between the Eastern Orthodox and the Armenian Orthodox and Paulician denominations. During
2730-558: The Romans (the Roman foot - 296 mm) coincided almost entirely with the Attica step used in the Hellenistic period thus allowing them to easily follow the initial urban planning model of the town without making significant alterations. Roman buildings that can be seen today are the: Extensive renovation and large-scale construction took place after the Roman conquest in 46 AD in order to meet
2808-555: The Seven Hills". The earliest signs of habitation on the territory of Philippopolis date as far back as the 6th millennium BC when the first settlements were established. Archaeologists have discovered fine pottery and objects of everyday life on Nebet Tepe from as early as the Chalcolithic , showing that at the end of the 4th millennium BC, there already was an established settlement there. Thracian necropolises dating back to
2886-593: The case was dismissed. The original Ferris wheel, sometimes referred to as the Chicago Wheel, was designed and constructed by Ferris Jr. and opened in 1893; however, an earlier wheel was created for the New York State fair in 1854, created by two Erie Canal workers. With a height of 80.4 metres (264 ft), it was the tallest attraction at the World's Columbian Exposition in Chicago, Illinois , where it opened to
2964-617: The city was seized by the Roman general Marcus Lucullus during the Third Mithridatic War but was soon restored to Thracian control. In AD 46 the city was finally incorporated into the Roman Empire by emperor Claudius . It gained city status ( municipium ) in the late 1st century. As Trimontium it was an important crossroad for the Roman Empire and was called "the largest and most beautiful of all cities" by Lucian . Although it
3042-584: The construction of the modern tunnel. The source of the water supply network was three waterfalls on the slopes of the Rhodope Mountains, two in the Marata locality near today's village of Markovo [ bg ] and one in the Kaynitsite locality near the present town of Kuklen . The catchments at Markovo are well researched; one of them is an underground reservoir measuring 13 × 7 m, partially destroyed;
3120-475: The destruction, it survived. Following the demolition of the 96-metre (315 ft) Grande Roue de Paris in 1920, the Riesenrad became the world's tallest extant Ferris wheel. In 1944 it burnt down, but was rebuilt the following year with 15 passenger cars, and remained the world's tallest extant wheel until its 97th year, when the 85-metre (279 ft) Technocosmos was constructed for Expo '85 , at Tsukuba, Ibaraki , Japan . Still in operation today, it
3198-581: The early rule of Xerxes I . From 479 BC the town was included in the Odrysian kingdom , a Thracian tribal union. The town was conquered by Philip II of Macedon in 342 BC, (giving his name to the new city) and the Odrysian king was deposed. This marked the expansion of the city with an organised Greek street plan. Ten years after the Macedonian invasion the Odrysian king Seuthes III revolted against Alexander
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3276-416: The eternal existence of the emperors, Publius, Licinius Valerian and Gallien Augustin and for their whole house, for the holy senate and Roman people, and for the council and people's assembly of Philippopolis – the Thracian leader Dionysus dedicated the surviving mysteries, while the leader of the mysteries and eternal priest was Aurelius Mukianid, son of Mukian”. This is followed by a list of all 44 members of
3354-493: The growing needs of the population. A characteristic of the buildings in Roman Philippopolis was their large scale and lavish decoration which expressed the greatness and influence of the Roman Empire. In the Roman era the built-up area of Philippopolis in the plain totalled 50 ha (120 acres). It included around 150 insulae each with a width of 1 actus (35.5 m) and length of 2 actus (71 m). The existing street network
3432-875: The lineup at Magic Mountain when the park opened in 1971, and was removed in 1980 when Six Flags took over ownership of both parks. Swiss broker Intamin marketed a similar series of double wheels manufactured by Waagner-Biro , comprising a vertical column supporting a straight cantilever arm, with each end of the cantilever arm ending in a spoked Ferris wheel. The first Intamin produced was Giant Wheel at Hersheypark in Hershey, Pennsylvania , which operated from 1973 to 2004. Other double wheels made by Waagner-Biro/Intamin include Zodiac ( Kings Island , Mason, Ohio ; 1975–86; moved to Wonderland Sydney and operated 1989–2004), Scorpion ( Parque de la Ciudad , Buenos Aires , Argentina; 1982–2003), and Double Wheel ( Kuwait Entertainment City , Kuwait City , Kuwait; 1984–91). A triple variant
3510-561: The mystical society, several with the positions they occupy. The name Philippopolis was also used in George Bernard Shaw 's famous Anti-romantic play Arms and the Man . In act III of scene 1, Major Sergius Saranoff and Paul Petkoff assist the help of Captain Bluntschli, to help them move three regiments of cavalry to Phillippopolis despite a shortage of forage. This part of play
3588-462: The northern and northwest slopes of Nebet Tepe. The wall was provided with small gates that led to passages or tunnels inside the rock through which steps reached the northern foot of the hill. The urban planning model from the Hellenistic period was followed and developed after the city became part of the Roman empire. The Romans continued the legacy left by the Greek architects; the unit of measure used by
3666-458: The original 1893 Chicago Ferris Wheel) were filed, the purpose of the company was stated as: [construction and operation of] "wheels of the Ferris or other types for the purpose of observation or amusement". Design variation includes single (cantilevered) or twin sided support for the wheel and whether the cars or capsules are oriented upright by gravity or by electric motors. The most prevalent design
3744-417: The outside of the rim, with electric motors to independently rotate each car to keep it upright. These cars are often referred to as capsules or pods. The original Ferris Wheel was designed and constructed by George Washington Gale Ferris Jr. as a landmark for the 1893 World's Columbian Exposition in Chicago ; although much smaller wooden wheels of similar idea predate Ferris's wheel, dating perhaps to
3822-557: The permanent foundations of their fixed counterparts. Fixed wheels are also sometimes dismantled and relocated. Larger examples include the original Ferris Wheel , which operated at two sites in Chicago, Illinois , and a third in St. Louis, Missouri ; Technocosmos /Technostar, which moved to Expoland , Osaka , after Expo '85 , Tsukuba, Ibaraki , for which it was built, ended; and Cosmo Clock 21 , which added 5 metres (16 ft) onto its original 107.5-metre (353 ft) height when erected for
3900-461: The public on June 21, 1893. It was intended to rival the 324-metre (1,063 ft) Eiffel Tower , the centerpiece of the 1889 Paris Exposition . Ferris was a graduate of Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute and a Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania , bridge-builder. He began his career in the railroad industry and then pursued an interest in bridge building. Ferris understood the growing need for structural steel and founded G.W.G. Ferris & Co. in Pittsburgh,
3978-463: The reign of Alexander the Great and the Diadochi . Despite the unstable political and economic environment from the 4th century BC to the 1st century BC, large-scale urban planning and complex construction techniques were implemented. The Hippodamian street plan was applied to Philippopolis as in other ancient towns like Miletus , Ephesus , Alexandria and Olynthus . Hellenistic Philippopolis had
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#17330850243404056-518: The right of “proedria" (the right to take front row seats in the theatre. These were the honorary seats for the most honoured administrative and political figures) and the name Sozipatros. In 2019, archaeologists found a large stone slab at the Episcopal Basilica site of the 3rd century AD. It was inscribed in Greek honouring the god Dionysus . The inscription reads: “For the victory, the health and
4134-411: The rim and independently rotated by electric motors, as opposed to wheels with cars suspended from the rim and kept upright by gravity, are uncommon. Typically they are called 'Observation wheels' but there is no standardised terminology. Only a few Ferris wheels with motorised capsules have been built. Official conceptual renderings of the proposed 190.5 m (625 ft) New York Wheel also show
4212-417: The same time, the other wheels remained raised and continued to rotate in a near-vertical plane at considerable height. The lowered horizontal wheel was brought to a standstill for simultaneous loading and unloading of all its passenger cars. The Sky Whirl was also known as a triple Ferris wheel, Triple Giant Wheel, or Triple Tree Wheel; it was 33 metres (108 ft) in height. The Sky Whirl in Santa Clara
4290-579: The second is a complex tunnel system: a central gallery and side branches. It is not fully investigated, but the length of one of the lateral branches is 76 m. The distribution network in the city itself is located under the streets, with pipelines along all north–south streets, but only under a few in east–west directions. Street pipelines are built with clay pipes, with branches to separate houses and fountains with lead. The pipelines led to many public fountains and fountains which, although not found, are known from many sculptural fragments. The total water flow
4368-600: The second time at Minato Mirai 21 , Yokohama , in 1999. The world's tallest transportable wheel today is the 78-metre (256 ft) Bussink Design R80XL . One of the most famous transportable wheels is the 60-metre (197 ft) Roue de Paris , originally installed on the Place de la Concorde in Paris for the 2000 millennium celebrations. Roue de Paris left France in 2002 and in 2003–04 operated in Birmingham and Manchester , England . In 2005 it visited first Geleen then Amsterdam , Netherlands , before returning to England to operate at Gateshead . In 2006 it
4446-457: The spider on the other end of the cantilever would continue to rotate in a near-vertical plane. Robinson sold two of these rides – Astrowheel, which operated at the former Six Flags AstroWorld in Houston , Texas, and Galaxy , which operated at Six Flags Magic Mountain in Valencia, California . Both were manufactured by Astron International Corporation. Astrowheel was part of the original lineup of rides when Astroworld opened in 1968; it
4524-416: The stadium. Part of this wall can be seen today under Djumaya Square, next to the Stadium. However the wall was also built across part of the city lying to the south of the forum strangely leaving many buildings outside the protection of the walls. Eventually this area became derelict and was used as a cemetery where early Christian tombs have been discovered. Although damaged in 251 during the Gothic invasion,
4602-437: The theatre, the stadium, the agora, treasury and odeon were rebuilt and expanded. The walls were originally built in the 4th c. BC around the Three Hills. In 172, according to an inscription found in the East Gate area from the reign of Emperor Marcus Aurelius , the city walls were strengthened on the three hills, and extended around the city in the plain in the areas to the east and west of the three hills, including, unusually,
4680-412: The three ends of the supporting arm. The supporting arm would in turn rotate around its central hub as a single unit about the top of the supporting column. The axis about which the supporting arm turned was offset from vertical (i.e., the plane of rotation was not horizontal), so that as the supporting arm rotated, each wheel was raised and lowered. When lowered, one wheel was horizontal at ground level. At
4758-475: The walls were renovated in the 3rd and 4th centuries. After the Gothic invasions changes were made particularly in the East Gate complex. The earlier gate was abandoned and a new gate was added which included an existing triumphal arch in honour of Hadrian from the 2nd century. Several remains of towers can be seen, including the eastern round tower. The odeon was built as a Hellenistic Bouleuterion , or council chamber, and underwent four reconstructions between
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#17330850243404836-405: The walls, the city was burned and 100,000 of its citizens died or were taken captive according to Ammianus Marcellinus . The city had contracted until the middle of the 4th century but then prospered later in the 4th century, like many cities in the region, and started spreading across the plain again. Philippopolis regained its size of the 3rd century, at its greatest prosperity. This expansion
4914-422: Was "currently under wraps", and its funding had "yet to be entirely secured". Commissioned by Ferris Wheel Investment Co., Ltd., and designed by UNStudio in collaboration with Arup, Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, and Experientia, it was expected to have 32 individually themed capsules and take 40 minutes to rotate once. The Shanghai Star, initially planned as a 200-metre (656 ft) tall wheel to be built by 2005,
4992-399: Was a distinct double wheel design. In the Robinsons' patent, the cantilever arm was bent at a slightly obtuse angle, and the cars were carried on a spoked "spider" rotating structure at each end of the cantilever. With the obtuse-angle cantilever, one spider could be lowered to the ground in a horizontal plane so that all the cars on that spider could be unloaded and loaded simultaneously, while
5070-403: Was built to encompass part of the city which had already extended out of the Three Hills into the valley, but leaving other parts outside unprotected. It became the provincial capital of Thrace in the early 3rd century. In about 250 the Battle of Philippopolis involved a long siege by the Goths led by their ruler Cniva . After betrayal by a disgruntled citizen who showed them where to scale
5148-530: Was considered for Gorky Central Park of Culture and Leisure , and a 150-metre (492 ft) wheel proposed for location near Sparrow Hills . Another giant wheel planned for Prospekt Vernadskogo for 2002 was also never built. At some malls and amusement parks indoor Ferris wheels were realized. The largest of its kind has a diameter of 47.6 metres (156 ft) and is situated in the 95 metres (312 ft) high Alem Cultural and Entertainment Center in Ashgabat . Wheels with passenger cars mounted external to
5226-423: Was custom designed for the Marriott Corporation and debuted at both Marriott's Great America parks (now Six Flags Great America , Gurnee, Illinois , and California's Great America , Santa Clara ) in 1976 as Sky Whirl . Each ride had three main components: the three spiders/wheels with their passenger cars; the triple-spoked supporting arm; and the single central supporting column. Each wheel rotated about one of
5304-571: Was erected at the Suan Lum Night Bazaar in Bangkok , Thailand , and by 2008 had made its way to Antwerp , Belgium . Roue de Paris is a Ronald Bussink series R60 design using 40,000 litres (8,800 imperial gallons; 11,000 US gallons) of water ballast to provide a stable base. The R60 weighs 365 tonnes (402 short tons), and can be erected in 72 hours and dismantled in 60 hours by a specialist team. Transport requires seven 20-foot container lorries, ten open trailer lorries, and one closed trailer lorry. Its 42-passenger cars can be loaded either 3 or 6 at
5382-520: Was filmed for a memorable rescue scene in Beverly Hills Cop III (renamed to "The Spider" for the film). The Santa Clara ride, renamed Triple Wheel in post-Marriott years, closed on September 1, 1997. The Gurnee ride closed in 2000. Two triple wheels were built for Asian clients: Tree Triple Wheel at Seibu-en ( Tokorozawa, Saitama , Japan; 1985–2004) and Hydra at Lotte World ( Seoul , South Korea; 1989–97). Philippopolis (Thrace) Philippopolis ( Ancient Greek : Φιλιππούπολις , Φιλιππόπολις)
5460-404: Was granted the first U.S. patent for a "Roundabout". George Washington Gale Ferris Jr. rode on Somers' wheel in Atlantic City prior to designing his wheel for the World's Columbian Exposition . In 1893 Somers filed a lawsuit against Ferris for patent infringement; however, Ferris and his lawyers successfully argued that the Ferris Wheel and its technology differed greatly from Somers' wheel, and
5538-406: Was not the capital of the Province of Thrace at this time (which was Perinthus ), the city was the largest and most important centre in the province. It was the seat of the Union of Thracians and the Via Militaris (or Via Diagonalis), the most important military road in the Balkans , passed through the city. Roman times were a period of growth and cultural excellence and the ancient ruins tell
5616-454: Was removed in 1981 to make way for the Warp 10 ride. Astrowheel had an eight-spoked spider at the end of each arm, and each tip had a separate car for eight cars in total on each end. In contrast, Galaxy had double the capacity with a four-spoked spider at the end of each arm; each tip bore an independent four-spoked sub-spider for sixteen cars in total on each end. Like Astrowheel, Galaxy was part of
5694-418: Was renovated and expanded with water supply and sewer system beneath it. The area of the road network amounted to 100,000 m The streets were paved with large granite slabs. The width of the streets was 15 Roman feet (4.4 m) while the width of the main streets reached 30 Roman feet (8.9 m). In the 2nd c. AD, the area north of the forum was enhanced and important public buildings from the Hellenistic period like
5772-553: Was revealed to a large extent by archaeology between 1965 and 1985 which, with historical records, confirm the presence of three archaeological levels: Hellenistic, Roman and Late Roman. The town originally built on the hills, starting from the original Thracian settlement on Nebet Tepe and the Three Hills in general, was extended to the plain in the Hellenistic period. The initial planning and construction of Philippopolis started during Philip II 's rule (359–336 BC) and continued during
5850-640: Was revised to 170 metres (558 ft), with a completion date set in 2007, but then cancelled in 2006 due to "political incorrectness". An earlier proposal for a 250-metre (820 ft) structure, the Shanghai Kiss, with capsules ascending and descending a pair of towers which met at their peaks instead of a wheel, was deemed too expensive at £100m. Rus-3000, a 170-metre (558 ft) wheel planned to open in 2004 in Moscow , has since been reported cancelled. Subsequently, an approximately 180-metre (591 ft) wheel
5928-509: Was the 100-metre (330 ft) Grande Roue de Paris (built for the 1900 Exposition Universelle in France ) which was demolished in 1920. In 1989 the 107.5-metre (353 ft) Cosmo Clock 21 opened for business in Yokohama and succeeded both Technocosmos as tallest extant Ferris wheel and Grande Roue de Paris as tallest Ferris wheel ever built. After Expo '85, Technocosmos was relocated in 1986 to
6006-574: Was the world's tallest transportable wheel when it began operating in 1980. It has 42 passenger cars, and weighs 450 tons. On October 11, 2010, it collapsed at the Kramermarkt in Oldenburg , Germany , during deconstruction. A double Ferris wheel designed to include a horizontal turntable was patented in 1939 by John F. Courtney, working for Velare & Courtney. In Courtney's design, there were two independent Ferris wheels, each rotating at either end of
6084-523: Was then rebuilt on Chicago's North Side, near the high-income enclave of Lincoln Park . William D. Boyce , then a local resident, filed a Circuit Court action against the owners of the wheel to have it removed, but without success. It operated there from October 1895 until 1903, when it was again dismantled, then transported by rail to St. Louis for the 1904 World's Fair and finally destroyed by controlled demolition using dynamite on May 11, 1906. The Wiener Riesenrad ( German for "Viennese Giant Wheel")
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