Chicago World's Columbian Exposition

The World’s Columbian Exposition, which is also known as the Chicago World’s Fair opened on May 1st, 1893. The fair’s main focus was to the 400th anniversary of Christopher Columbus’ first voyage to the New World; albeit they were off by a year. The fair was located in Jackson Park, the current place of the Museum of Science and Industry and the Midway Plaisance. There was an approximate of 27 million visitors, 14 million of whom were from outside of the United States. An interesting fact about the fair is that Chicago had to fight to have the fair, beating out St. Louis, New York and Washington, D.C.

Another interesting fact about the fair is that despite the private investors and U.S government raising money for the fair it still resulted

The Chicago World’s Fair main buildings became known, collectively, as the White City and eventually lead to many cities adopting aspects of the new City Beautiful movement with white stucco siding and electric lights illuminating up the façade. The fair eventually closed in October of 1893 and almost all of the buildings were destroyed by fire. The fairs closing ceremony was replaced by a memorial for Chicago’s newly elected mayor, Carter Harrison Sr., who was shot and killed by Patrick Eugene

There is nothing that can compare to it including the Centennial Exhibition at Philadelphia. It highlights the fair by talking of the grandeur of the layout and the buildings. The article also looks at the technological and technical advances that has occurred that past seventeen years since the fair in Philadelphia. The Chicago World’s Fair is so great that even though its costs somewhat more than the Centennial Exhibition, there is far more to see and do that makes it worth the money. The author of the article goes even further by saying, “The benefit to the visitors and to the country is something that cannot be computed in figures or measured by comparison” (“The Success of the World’s Fair). Even though the fair was not intended to be a “money-making” thing, the fair was a financial success. There is even a prediction in the article that states the attendance to the fair will double in coming months which will essentially make the fair more money. In the end, no one will want to miss such magnificent display of American culture as well as cultures around the