ride

This is printed backwards, the boats on the ride travelled clockwise. It is Murphy's Sea on Land which was converted to this appearance in 1894.

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The earliest types of carousels were most likely created by Arabians. The first carousels were made for adults to ride. Today carousels are made for children to ride. However, the carousel was first recognized as being a carousel in Europe. People most likely made the first carousels in the seventeenth century. However carousels were used in France, to practice a game they enjoyed playing. For this game, horsemen practiced playing a game on which they would ride wooden horses, horses that were carved out of wood. The wooden horses would be rotated by servants pulling at the rotating platform. This would be similar to the playground carousels. Or the horsemen would use real horses to rotate the platform. The carousel emerged as a ride when a toy dealer in France showed wooden horses on a rotating platform moved by human power or horsepower in the beginning of 18th century. Carousels became popular in America between 1880 and 1930. During this time, there were around 5000 carousels built. Michael Dentzel, an American who immigrated from German and lived in Philadelphia, moved the rotary platform of his carousel using steam power or horsepower in 1814. Later, the carousels found in amusement parks had platforms moved by a machine. This concept is still being used today. It was invented in 1898 in America. Railroads were the first companies in America to purchase carousels for their customers' enjoyment. The most popular of the carousel animals always has been and still is the horse. Eighty percent of animals carved for carousels in America are horses. Other animals that have been used on carousels include "Mother Goose" and "Disney" characters. The "romance" side of the carousel animals is the side that faces the audience. On the romance side the animal had extra carvings and decorations. Most of the carousels in Europe and America turn counterclockwise. In Great Britain, carousels turn clockwise. Source: kids.kiddle.co/Carousel