A small girl enjoying a ride on the merry-go-round in 1939

For generations, one of the thrills of childhood was riding on a merry-go-round, awed by the movement and the music of the band organ. While the exact origins of the merry-go-round — or carousel — are lost, William Schneider of Davenport, Iowa, is credited with inventing the device in America this week (July 23rd) in 1871. By the early 1900s, there were some 6,000 across the U.S.— now, just 150 remain. There is only one steam-powered carousel left in the country, in Rollag, Minnesota, fired up once a year on Labor Day. Today, there are 563 amusement and theme parks in the U.S. — featuring rides much faster and more demanding than the merry-go-round.