Carousels may not be able to compete with many of today’s technically advanced rides, yet they are still beloved by amusement park visitors of all ages. They also play an important role in the evolution of amusement parks. As one of the earliest rides to appear at the fairs and amusement areas that were the blueprints for today’s amusement parks, they helped whet the public’s appetite for bigger and better amusement park rides. As was the case with the log flume ride and the gravity railway, carousels were originally designed for a practical purpose rather than entertainment. Check here varied entertainment rides.
The word “carousel” was first used to describe a game played by Arabian and Turkish horsemen in the 12th century. The game, which involved tossing a clay ball filled with perfume between riders, was played with such seriousness by the horsemen that the Italian crusaders who first observed the game called it a “little war” or “carosello.” The French adopted this game into their own variety of equestrian competition and from this comes the French word “carousel” that we use today. In order to prepare for these competitions, a practice device was created which featured legless wooden horses suspended from arms on a central rotating pole. The pole was rotated either by human, horse, or mule, while the horsemen mounted on the wooden horses practiced games such as spearing a hanging ring with their jousting lances. Traces of this game still exist in a few carousels that include a ring dispenser, such as the 1911 Looff Carousel at the Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk. The carousel ring game originally involved grabbing a steel ring out of a dispenser, with the occasional brass ring earning the lucky rider a free turn on the carousel. On the Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk carousel, riders can also toss the ring into the mouth of a smiling clown. Click to know varied carousel rides.
The carousels used by the French horsemen attracted the attention of bystanders that thought the carousel looked like fun to ride. Before long, carousels were being built specifically for the purpose of entertainment. By the late 1700s, this suspended version of the carousel was making appearances at fairs and festivals throughout Europe; yet the size of these carousels was greatly limited by the power source, which continued to be either man or horse. This all changed on New Year’s Day, 1861, when Thomas Bradshaw opened the first steam-powered “roundabout” in Bolton, England. The newly incorporated power system would launch the golden era of carousels that lasted from the late 1800s until the Great Depression.
More information about carousel ride here: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carousel
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