Bookable
An Apollonaut travel guide
Moments in a longer story.
Selected milestones in the history of the London Eye.
On this page
Opening, records and new names
These dates describe the place you can learn about here. They are not a company timeline for Apollonaut.
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31 December 1999
Ceremonial opening
The Millennium Wheel is ceremonially opened, without passengers.
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1 February 2000
First passengers
The first passengers ride the wheel.
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9 March 2000
Open to the public
The London Eye opens to the general public.
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2006
A taller wheel
The Star of Nanchang in China takes the record for the world’s tallest Ferris wheel.
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2011
EDF Energy
EDF Energy becomes the wheel’s sponsor.
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2 June 2013
The Coronation Capsule
A capsule is named for the 60th anniversary of Queen Elizabeth II’s coronation.
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2013
A higher view
The View from The Shard becomes London’s highest public viewing point.
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2015
Coca-Cola
Coca-Cola becomes the wheel’s sponsor.
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2020
lastminute.com
lastminute.com becomes the wheel’s sponsor.
Follow the stories behind the dates
A timeline is a beginning. The longer history introduces the people and places; the sources below provide further context.
Read at the source
Sources & further reading
Links lead to the original publishers.
