Christmas carousel

In the 17th century, knightly tournaments lost their cruelty and turned into a game: smart horsemen galloped in a circle and with spears tore off the bells and gold rings suspended from threads.
The French liked such fun, and in order to entertain children from noble families, they came up with a turntable simulator - wooden horses, the size of ponies, so that they could raise dexterous riders into future knights from an early age.
This device is the great-grandmother of all modern carousels.
The first mechanical carousels were invented in the 18th century, and Peter I brought them, like many other things, to Russia. Over time, the noble sons got bored with the fun, and at fairs they began to build carousels for the common people.
But the birthday of a real carousel (with a marquee, music, mirrors and colorful horses) is July 25, 1871. It was on this day that the enterprising American William Schneider received his patent.