Question of the Day - 14 August 2018

Yes it is. For now.

It's 550 feet tall, nine feet taller than the 541-foot Singapore Flyer, which held the record from 2008 till 2014, when the High Roller went into operation. 

Two other wheels, however -- one in New York, the other in United Arab Emirates -- will be taller when or if they're finished. The Ain Dubai wheel (previously known as the Dubai Eye), is 689 feet tall; it's expected to be completed later this year.   

The New York Wheel, which will be 625 feet tall, was announced in 2012. But legal disputes have delayed it indefinitely.

And here are some details about the High Roller, for anyone who's interested.

Construction of the the current world's tallest observation wheel took slightly over two years, with rides commencing in late March 2014. 

The High Roller rotates on a pair of roller bearings, each weighing 10 tons. Manufactured in Sweden, they were assembled in 28 sections, each 56 feet long and fastened to the axis by four cables.

In addition to the machinery that slowly rotates the wheel, each of the 28 225-square-foot cabins (with room for 40 people, for a total capacity of 1,120 riders) has its own electric motor to ensure that the floor remains horizontal through each full revolution of the wheel.

No less than 7,300,000 pounds of steel went into its construction, along with 112 cables. 

The wheel's 36-color lighting palette consists of 2,000 LEDs, cued to come on at sunset. According to Caesars Entertainment, the High Roller has several predetermined color combinations, like the red, white, and blue display used on such holidays as the Fourth of July. When Prince died, the High Roller went to an all-purple color scheme. For St. Patrick's Day, it turns green. And throughout Breast Cancer Awareness Month, the High Roller switches to pink.

The High Roller is designed to withstand 50 years of use.

By the way, George Ferris, who designed and built the original Ferris Wheel for the 1893 Chicago World's Columbian Exposition, grew up in Carson City.