Have you ever attended a World’s Fair? Do you even know what it is?
The Fair
In the U.S., it’s called a “World’s Fair.” Continental Europe and Asia know it as an International or Universal “Exposition”—Expo for short—while the United Kingdom refers to it as an “Exhibition.” Whatever you call it, the event was designed to showcase the latest and greatest of the host nations’ achievements and wonders from around the world.
Generally, these events are divided into three eras:
Industrialization (1851-1938). Focused on trade and technology advances and inventions.
Cultural Exchange (1939-1987). Encouraged effective intercultural communication and sharing of technological innovations.
Nation Branding (1988-Present). Improving countries’ national image.
Did You Know…
- In the middle of the nineteenth century, Expos were seen as the “world’s universities.” Today, entertainment has replaced education as the main goal.
Modern Exhibitions
While various countries held national expos in the early 1800s, London’s 1851 “Great Exhibition of the Works of All Nations,” is considered the first modern World’s Fair.
This expo was the brainchild of Queen Victoria’s husband, Prince Albert, and was open from May 1 to October 11, 1851. During its run, six million people attended this international exhibition held at the Crystal Palace in London’s Hyde Park. Exhibits included new technological and scientific advancements, as well as crafts and arts from around the world.
Did You Know…
- The Great Exhibition earned a large profit. The money was put into a fund which continues to supply fellowships to British students in engineering and industrial design fields today.
- Great Exhibition attendees included people like Samuel Colt, Charles Darwin, and writers Charlotte Brontë, Lord Alred Tennyson, Lewis Carroll, and Charles Dickens.
Philadelphia
During the twenty years following the Great Exhibition, international expositions gained popularity. So much so that the U.S. centennial planners decided to celebrate the country’s Declaration of Independence with one of their own. The city of Philadelphia hosted the U.S.’s first world’s fair—called the Centennial Exhibition—between May 10 and November 10, 1876.
Did You Know…
- 10,000,000 people attended the Centennial Exhibition.
- The Philadelphia Exhibition’s theme was Arts, Manufactures, and Products of the Soil and Mine.”
U.S. Fairs
Due to the Philadelphia Exhibition’s success, the U.S. hosted a number of world’s fairs over the next forty years. But unlike their European counterparts, U.S. fairs were privately managed, and federal aid was confined to the government pavilions and exhibits. These fairs also included entertainment venues, with various rides and exotic attractions.
Did You Know…
- In 1893, 27.5 million people attended the Chicago World’s Fair. The number of attendees dropped to 19,694,855 for the St. Louis World’s Fair in 1904 but soared to 38,872,000 at the second Chicago World’s Fair, in 1933.
- The most significant World’s Fair in U.S. history (and one of the most important in world expositions history) was the World’s Columbian Exposition in Chicago in 1893.
- Human zoos—or ethnological expositions—publicly displayed the way “primitive” humans lived. These exhibits were extremely popular.
- By the beginning of the 1900s, European fairs followed the U.S.’s lead by adding entertainment venues.
Legacies
Each host country and city wanted its fair to be the most memorable, and so built temporary attractions to make that happen. Here are a few structures that were so popular they surpassed temporary and became cherished landmarks and fair legacies.
The Crystal Palace: World’s first Exhibition in 1851, London, England. (A fire destroyed it in 1936.)
The Eiffel Tower: 1889 Exposition Universelle in Paris, France.
The Parthenon: 1897 Tennessee Centennial and International Exposition in Nashville, TN.
Space Needle & Monorail: 1962 Seattle World’s Fair in Seattle, WA.
Montreal Expos: Though not a structure, this former Major League Baseball team was named for the 1967 World’s Fair held in Montreal, Canada.
Did You Know…
- Some people were opposed to the construction of the Eiffel Tower. They wanted it dismantled when the expo ended.
- Walt Disney and his company created many rides and exhibits for New York’s 1964 World’s Fair. After the fair, many were moved to Disneyland. Some, like It’s a Small World and Great Moments with Mr. Lincoln, are not only still in use today but were duplicated at Florida’s Disney World.
- Disney originally thought to establish a “permanent World’s Fair” at the New York site. Instead, the idea came to life at the Epcot theme park in Disney World.
Wrap Up
After WWI, world’s fairs in the U.S. never saw the popularity they’d once enjoyed. Fewer were held and many of them were not commercially successful. Thanks to better transportation and communication, people no longer needed world’s fairs to learn about new technologies or foreign lands.
Did You Know…
- The 1933 Chicago and 1939 New York Worlds’ Fairs were designed to make fairgoers forget their Great Depression troubles. Unfortunately, New York’s hope of a wonderful future waiting just around the bend disappeared with the beginning of WWII.
- While the last U.S.-hosted World’s Fair was held in New Orleans in 1984, Expos remain popular in Europe and Asia.