What is a whirligig?
Think of a windmill connected to a mechanical statue. Whirligigs combine the science of wind power and motion with the art of sculpture. When the wind blows, the statue moves! You can create a whirligig small enough to be held in your hand or large enough to tower above an elephant. In fact, the most famous whirligig inventor in the United States makes most of his wind machines about 15 meters tall, or about one-third of the height of the Statue of Liberty! Vollis Simpson lives in North Carolina and attaches life-size figures of people and animals to his whirligigs. With the slightest breeze the figures come to life. On one whirligig, a man pedals a unicycle. On another, a team of mules kicks its hooves into the air. “I’ve constructed things all my life,” says Simpson, who is an 80-year-old grandfather now. When he was eight years old, Simpson worked hard at his dad’s farm and sawmill. He constructed rabbit traps and learned how to fix the machinery in the mill. As a young man, he buil
