Daytona Beach, 1911.
https://onceuponatown.tumblr.com/post/92961102670/daytona-beach-1911
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Louis Brennan's gyroscope model, fully functional of proved the engineering. Amazing accomplishment for 1903
https://onceuponatown.tumblr.com/post/96477275185/in-1903-louis-brennan-patented
The first Ferris Wheel from the Chicago Expo of 1893- Each of the 36 cars held 60 people for a total of 2160 passengers, at the top of the ride, people were 264 feet off the ground
The 1893 fair organizers and Congress’s goal was to stir men’s blood, to surpass the marvels of the Exposition Universelle produced by France and held in Paris in 1889, which had been so majestic and exotic that no one thought it could ever be equaled. America’s pride as an international power demanded a response, something to eclipse the French exposition and its Eiffel Tower. Alexandre Eiffel, a French engineer, was hired to create the grandest spectacle of all. The World’s Columbian Exposition was the answer, and four cities—New York, Washington, D.C., St. Louis and Chicago—submitted bids. After several rounds of intense lobbying, Congress awarded the charter to Chicago. Burnham, the director of works for the 1893 world’s fair, spent more than $22 million (almost $600 million in today’s dollars) to make it happen. Attendance on the fair’s best day, Chicago Day, was 761,942 people, which beat out the best day, by almost half, at the Paris exposition. the main axle was made by Bethle...
Art Smith, famous for being a young stunt pilot in the early 19 teens, and then touring state and county fairs with his Baby Racers
What a great way to make a living, take some mini race cars on the road, race in city by city, and have a lot of fun These miniature race cars were powered by Harley Davidson F-head V-twins built in the mid-teens and given the name “baby cars”. The cars were built with the help of Dudley Perkins of the Dudley Perkins Company, a San Francisco Harley-Davidson dealership. The left and center photos above show the workshop where the racers were assembled by Smith and his crew in a shop located at 220 Van Ness Avenue in San Francisco. Art Smith at the young age of 15 was quite the dare devil, and spent most of his youth as a stunt pilot. Art’s skill as a pilot made him a popular attraction at state fairs and similar events around the country in a time when seeing a plane was something quite unusual. The first years he spent touring around the U.S. brought him plenty of fame and fortune, allowing him to purchase five baby cars. The baby cars became part of his act. He would race...