Perhaps the most iconic invention of the 1893 World's Fair, the Ferris wheel was Chicago's answer to Paris' Eiffel Tower, which was built for that city's 1889 fair. Though now ubiquitous, there was just one Ferris wheel in the beginning, and it has a history that stretches back to Galesburg, Illinois. Paul Durica, co-author of “Chicago by Day and Night: The Pleasure-Seeker’s Guide to the Paris of America,” and Jim Ferris, the great-great-nephew of the Ferris wheel's inventor, tell the story of how it was invented and what happened to the original "Chicago Wheel."

"From the Midway" is a production of the Chicago Tribune. It was created by digital news editor Colleen Connolly. Post-production editing was done by digital news editor Randi Shaffer. The music used in this podcast came from the album “Souvenir Music from the World’s Columbian Exposition of 1893,” recorded by Lake Forest College.