Chrysti The Wordsmith: Eponym - 3

Hi word lovers today on Christie the wordsmith we continue exploring eponym or words derived from the name of historical and mythological personalities. We've recalled the deeds of modulus the ancient Persian king whose name inspired the word mausoleum and the mythological Narcissus a Greek youth so handsome that he narcissistically fell in love with his own reflection. Today we leave the ancient world to arrive in America in search of an eponym. The Quest takes us to Chicago's world a Colombian exhibition of 1893 where the newly erected Ferris wheel is stunning the senses of hundreds of thousands of fairgoers built like a giant bicycle wheel the slowly rotating device is equipped with 36 enclosed cars which transports 2000 passengers hundreds of feet in the air before returning them to the ground to begin the cycle again. The Ferris wheel began operation on June 21st 1893 and by the time it closed five months later one point four million thrill seekers had taken the great circular ride. This

Colossus was devised by a young American steel engineer already famous for his bridge and tunnel designs. The promoters of the 1893 exhibition hired the engineer to showcase the new technology of structural steel. His name George Washington Gail Ferris by loaning his surname to the famous wheel Ferris added yet another entry to the long roster of eponym. Or names that have become words. I'm Christie the wordsmith. CHRISTIE The wordsmith the sponsored by the Corporation for Public Broadcasting and Zoot enterprises a high tech firm in Bozeman Montana offering challenging careers and innovative solutions for the financial services industry sued web dot com.