A: At the Chicago WorldFair in 1893, the organizer established a separate area for entertainment away from the exhibition halls. Called the Midway Plaisance, it is still regarded as the most successful amusement area in the history of the expo, laying the foundation for the mass construction of similar recreational areas at subsequent World Fairs.
It included carnival rides, among them the first Ferris wheel, built by American engineer George Ferris. This wheel was 80 m high and had 36 cars, each of which could accommodate up to 60 people.
At the 1893 World Expo, a total of 1.6 million visitors got to experience it. One of the cars even carried a band that played whenever the wheel was in motion. The Midway Plaisance introduced the term "midway" to American English to describe the area of a carnival or fair where sideshows are located. John Phillip Sousa's band also played there daily.
