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 7, 2024Old Rock Day
Nov 26, 2021Native American Heritage Day
Jun 3, 2025World Bicycle Day
Sep 1, 2022Wildlife crossing, Wierden, Netherlands
Aug 24, 2024Katahdin Woods and Waters National Monument anniversary
Jun 26, 2020Beautiful baobabs
Jan 2, 2024Prayer flags in Phobjikha Valley, Bhutan
Oct 4, 2023World Space Week
Dec 14, 2025Audubon Christmas Bird Count
Dec 24, 2023Christmas Eve
Feb 4, 2023Rosa Parks Day
Jan 25, 2023Burns Night
Jan 18, 2023White Sands National Park turns 90
Aug 13, 2025Corona Arch near Moab, Utah
Dec 11, 2020Mountains fit for a queen
Mar 11, 2018Daylight saving time begins
Jun 22, 2025World Rainforest Day
Feb 27, 2023International Polar Bear Day
Nov 23, 2024Fibonacci Day
Feb 12, 2019To Roswell, and beyond!
Oct 19, 2024International Archaeology Day
Feb 19, 2019A dreamy start to the Year of the Pig
Mar 25, 2022Tolkien Reading Day
Sep 15, 2024National Hispanic Heritage Month
Oct 2, 2025Oxbow Bend on the Snake River, Grand Teton National Park, Wyoming
Oct 29, 2020Let s get lost
Jan 27, 2020Thomas Edison s bright idea
Jun 17, 2020Don t go chasing waterfalls
Mar 1, 2019Forward-thinking women of history
Feb 24, 2019A long path to freedom