An Exposition of the World
1893: Chicago's World Fair
The 400th Anniversary
Organization of the Fair
Inside of the Fair
The 1893 World's Fair was the first World Fair to have an isolated amusement area. The attractions were not inside of the Fair, but they were located on the Midway Plaisance. The attractions on the Midway spanned from a Ferris Wheel and carnival rides to the "Street in Cairo". The Ferris Wheel made it's debut at the World's Fair. The Ferris Wheel was 264 feet high, and could hold 2,160 people all at once. The ride included 36 cars, and each car could carry 60 people at a time. The Wheel cost 50 cent to ride. The "Street in Cairo" proved to be the most successful attraction on the Midway. This attraction established exotic dancing in America.
Novelist Hamlin Garland told his parents in 1893, "Sell the cook, the stove if necessary and come. You must see the fair."
In an excerpt from the Fair's opening speech, General Davis, Fair Director stated, "This exposition is not the conception of any single mind; It is not the result of any single effort, but it is the grandest conception of all the minds and the best obtainable results of all the efforts put forth by all the people who have in any manner contributed to its consideration.'
Matt Novak of Paleofuture (2013) says, "If I had a time machine, I'd go visit the 1893 World's Fair in Chicago. The 1893 World's Fair was the fair to end all fairs."
The Chicago Historical Society stated in 1999, "Although the glory of the World's Columbian Exposition was transient, its influence lived on long after the fair closed."
The World's Columbian Exposition was a massive success. By the month of October, the Fair had hosted over 6.8 million visitors. Chicago Day (a day that commemorated the Great Chicago Fire) hosted 716,881 fairgoers on October 9, 1893. No exposition in the same century had seen as much success as the World's Columbian Exposition. The 1893 World's Fair became the model by which other fairs studied.
The Future
The Telautograph
Famous Ferris Wheel
The World's Fair In Comparison to The Great Gatsby
Bibliography
- Rose, Julie K. "World's Columbian Exposition: The Official Fair--A History." World's Columbian Exposition. N.p., 1996. Web. 08 Jan. 2014.
- Maranzani, Barbara. "7 Things You May Not Know About the 1893 Chicago World’s Fair." History.com. A&E Television Networks, 01 May 2013. Web. 07 Jan. 2014.
- Novak, Matt. "Where the Future Came From: A Trip Through the 1893 Chicago World's Fair." Paleofuture. N.p., 7 Dec. 2013. Web. 08 Jan. 2014.
- "History Files - The World's Columbian Exposition." History Files - The World's Columbian Exposition. Chicago Historical Society, 1999. Web. 07 Jan. 2014.
- Telautograph circa 1893 from RedOrbit