Ever Felt You Were Just Going Round In Circles?

The earliest depiction of a carousel is in a 1st Centuary Byzantine bas-relief.
The word comes from the Italian "garosello", or Spanish "carosella", meaning "little battle", & originally they were used for training cavalry in the use of weapons whilst on horseback.
The first recorded use of a carosel as an amusement was in 1620 in Bulgaria. By the 19th Centuary animal or human powered rides were being operated across Europe. Steam power allowed more elaborate carousels & "gallopers", where the horses rise & fall, were developed. Their popularity spread to the U.S. in the 20th Centuary as European craftsmen arrived there, bringing their traditional woodcarving & decorative skills with them.
This example, belonging to Reuben Bond, was at the Kew Midsummer Fair today.