The Ferris wheel at the World Columbian Exposition was the most popular and memorable attraction at the fair. The original wheel was 250 feet in diameter and could carry more than 2,000 passengers at a time. It had 36 cars that could each hold up to 60 people. When Chicago's Navy Pier was being renovated in the early 1990s, it was no accident that the attractions at the new tourist destination included a giant Ferris wheel. Although it is modeled after the 1893 wheel, the Navy Pier Ferris wheel is only about half the size of the original Ferris wheel and can only carry a maximum of about 250 passengers.