- July 25th every year is national merry-go-round day and here's a bunch of fun facts for you, too.
What do you think of the ride known as the merry-go-round? The national day for them is today, July 25th and here’s a bunch of fun facts, too.
- Some German carousels were made with two stories or decks. Because of transportation, they weren’t common in other places.
- Golden age carousels had manes carved so that riders had a place to hold while climbing into the seat and during the ride.
- To boost morale during World War II, British Prime Minister Winston Churchill ordered that all carousels worked after they previously stopped working after the idea as a way to preserve important war materials like fuel and electricity.
- The prancers are known to have their two front feet in the air while their remaining two feet are on the gound.
- British carousels spin clockwise while others spin counterclockwise.
- Some of the early horses of the carousel were made with real horsehair so the mane/tail could be authentic.
- Charles Lindbergh, the American aviator, rode a carousel at Coney Island before the flight across the Atlantic so that could relax before takeoff.
- The jumpers have all their feet in the air, to look as if they’re running. The jumpers also move up and down. What do you think of the jumpers of merry-go-round.
- Washington’s National Zoo had a solar-powered carousel.
- The early carousels were advertised and recommended by physicians as an aid in circulating the blood.
- Chariots on the carousel were adding the early modern carousels of the 20th century so ladies could ride without having to sit sidesaddle on the animals.
- A company called The Carousel Works out of Mansfield Ohio makes endangered species to bring attention to those animals that need it.
- Because carousels are part of American history, The United States Postal Service has issues two different commemorative stamps honoring the infamous ride.
- The first carousel ride in the United States was in 1799 in Salem Massachusetts and was called a “wooden horse circus ride.”
- There are three types of animals on carousels, the standing figures, prancers and jumpers. Did you know this about the merry-go-round?
- Though modern carousels are molded after classical models, the new ones are made out of aluminum or fiberglass.
- The only steam-powered carousel left in the United States is presented at the Western Minnesota Steam Threshers Reunion in Rollag, Minnesota, each Labor Day weekend.
- The largest indoor carousel in the world is located at the house on the Rock
near Dodgeville and Spring Green in Iowa County, Wisconsin. In total there are 269 carousel animals, 182 chandeliers and 20,000+ lights. - Carousels along with roller coasters are of the oldest amusement rides still in use.
- The standing figures have at least three of their four feet on the ground.
- Carousels purposely have larger animals toward the edge and smaller ones closer to the hub with the idea that the smaller kids would ride the smaller, inner animals. The inner animals also move more slowly.
- The side of the horse on a carousel that faces outward is more heavily carved than the inward facing side.
What do you think of these merry-go-round fun facts? Let me know in the comments!