Ingenuity in action on the Santa Monica Pier Aug 21, 2018

Ingenuity in action on the Santa Monica Pier

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.

© Chris Fabregas

palette

Today in History

Aug 21, 2019Look before you leap
Aug 21, 2020Lobster tales
Aug 21, 2021Ambassadors of the airwaves
Aug 21, 2022International Lighthouse Weekend
Aug 21, 2023Discovery Day in Yukon, Canada
Aug 21, 2024Nazca boobies, Wolf Island, Galápagos Islands, Ecuador
Aug 21, 2025A wheatear in Peak District National Park, England

More Desktop Wallpapers:

Jan 29, 2018Vacuum Chamber 5 at Glenn Research Center
Mar 9, 2020This grizzly has Napping Day down
Oct 12, 2021High tide at the walled city
Mar 6, 2022Great cormorants
Aug 11, 2025Village of Santa Maddalena, Dolomites, Italy
Oct 10, 2023Mount Sopris, Colorado
Sep 25, 2022World Rivers Day
Mar 6, 2023Icelandic horses, Iceland
May 29, 2020It s Bermuda s big day
Aug 4, 2023Tintern Abbey, Wales
Oct 2, 2022Albuquerque International Balloon Fiesta
Aug 24, 2021Surf s always up in Paia
Sep 14, 2023Przewalskis horses, Hustai National Park, Mongolia
Jan 30, 2025La Brecha de Rolando (Rolands Breach), Spain
Aug 28, 2022Bearded reedlings in Flevoland
Jan 6, 2021Travels to the Oregon deep
Jun 6, 2025Arromanches-les-Bains for the 81st anniversary of D-Day
Feb 20, 2025Ansel Adams birthday
Jan 14, 2018Sanday Island and the North Sea, Scotland
Oct 24, 2019Bridge of Hillsborough County
Feb 4, 2021Where is this wintry road?
May 30, 2019A day to celebrate the sun
Dec 3, 2022Art Basel Miami Beach
Apr 4, 2022Norway s Kjeragbolten boulder
Jan 26, 2023Heavens Gate Cave, Tianmen Mountain National Park, China
Apr 16, 2024Union Square, Manhattan
Dec 25, 2018Happy holidays!
Nov 7, 2021Mack Arch Rock
Oct 28, 2021Necropolis of Dargavs
Sep 5, 2019A lush, green escape