Forums

  1. The World's Fair Community

    1. Announcements

      Find out what's new at The World's Fair Community.

      1,058
      posts

    2. Introductions

      New to the World's Fair Community? Long-time reader but never posted? Take a moment and say hello!

      897
      posts

    3. Suggestion Box

      Submit ideas for The World's Fair Community here.

      808
      posts

    4. Affiliated Websites

      2,463
      posts

  2. The Great Fairs

    1. 1851, London, England - The Great Exhibition

      The Great Exhibition was held in Hyde Park, London, England from May 1 to October 11, 1851 and is considered the first world's fair. It took place in the Crystal Palace designed by Joseph Paxton.

      72
      posts

    2. 1889, Paris, France - Universal Exposition of 1889

      The Exposition Universelle de 1889 was a World's Fair held in Paris, France from May 6, to October 31, 1889. Remembered most for the Eiffel Tower.

      62
      posts

    3. 1893, Chicago, United States - World's Columbian Exposition

      The World's Columbian Exposition was held in Chicago, Illinois, United States from May 1 to October 31, 1893. It celebrated the 400th anniversary of Christopher Columbus' discovery of the New World.

      156
      posts

    4. 1904, Saint Louis, United States - Louisiana Purchase Exposition

      The Louisiana Purchase Exposition was held in the St. Louis, Missouri, United States from May 1 to October 31, 1904. The Fair celebrated the centennial of the Louisiana Purchase.

      108
      posts

    5. 1915, San Francisco, United States - Panama-Pacific International Exposition

      Staged to celebrate the completion of the Panama Canal, and drawing over 19 million visitors in only nine months, the Pan-Pacific International Expo rose like a literal jewel from the ashes of San Francisco's 1906 Earthquake and Fire.

      134
      posts

    6. 1933-34, Chicago, United States - A Century of Progress International Exposition

      A Century of Progress International Exposition was held in Chicago, Illinois from 1933 to 1934 to celebrate the city's centennial. The theme of the fair was technological innovation. Its motto was "Science Finds, Industry Applies, Man Conforms".

      558
      posts

    7. 1939-40, New York, United States - The 1939-40 New York World's Fair

      The 1939-40 New York World's Fair, located on the current site of Flushing Meadows-Corona Park, was one of the largest world's fairs of all time. The fair ran for two seasons and over 44 million people attended.

      8,132
      posts

    8. 1939-40, San Francisco, United States - Golden Gate International Exposition

      The Golden Gate International Exposition was held in San Francisco, California to celebrate the opening of the San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge and the Golden Gate Bridge. The exposition's first season ran from February 18, 1939 through October 29, 1939 and its second season was from May 25, 1940 through September 29, 1940.

      280
      posts

    9. 1958, Brussels, Belgium - Expo '58

      Expo 58 was held in Brussels, Belgium from April 17 to October 19. It was the first major World's Fair after World War II.

      206
      posts

    10. 1964-65, New York, United States - The 1964/1965 New York World's Fair

      The 1964/1965 New York World’s Fair, located on the current site of Flushing Meadows-Corona Park. The fair ran for two seasons and took place without sanctioning from the Bureau of International Expositions.

      66,342
      posts

    11. 1967, Montreal, Canada - Expo 67

      Expo 67 was held in Montreal, Quebec, Canada from April 27 to October 29, 1967. It was considered to be the most successful World's Fair of the 20th century, with over 50 million visitors and 62 nations participating.

      2,954
      posts

    12. 1970, Osaka, Japan - Expo '70

      Expo '70 was held in Osaka, Japan from March 15 and September 13, 1970. This was the first World's Fair held in Japan, 77 countries participated and over 64 million visitors attended.

      190
      posts

    13. 2010, Shanghai, China - Expo 2010

      World Expo Shanghai 2010 will be held in Shanghai, China from May 1 to October 31. Its theme is "Better City, Better Life."

      381
      posts

  3. World's Fairs & Expositions

    1. 1840 to 1859

      87
      posts

    2. 1860 to 1879

      49
      posts

    3. 1880 to 1899

      1
      post

    4. 1900 to 1919

      174
      posts

    5. 1920 to 1939

      341
      posts

    6. 1940 to 1959

      8
      posts

    7. 1960 to 1979

      1,028
      posts

    8. 1980 to 1999

      750
      posts

    9. 2000 to 2019

      284
      posts

    10. 2020 to 2039

      • No posts here yet

    11. World's Fair Bids

      39
      posts

  4. Something for Everyone

    1. Fairs That Never Were

      Many fairs have been proposed over the years. Projects start with great fanfare and then fade away. These are their stories.

      145
      posts

    2. Events

      Do you have a free world's fair related event you'd like to publicize? A picnic or get together? Post your event here.

      2,677
      posts

    3. Community Chat

      General discussion, something for everyone.

      16,389
      posts

    4. Festival of Laughing Gas

      It's a cavalcade of comedy! A parade of parody, delightful deadpan and silly slapstick. Something funny for everyone.

      3,540
      posts

  5. Commerce Zone

    1. The Souvenir Shop

      Have a Fair collectible you would like to sell? Are you trying to find a buyer for a one-of-a-kind item? Do you buy and sell world's fair memorabilia? The Souvenir Shop is the place for you.

      1,469
      posts

    2. Commercial Events

      Want to promote a world's fair related commercial event? Are you having a collectibles show? Is there an admission fee? Commercial Events is the place for you.

      309
      posts

  • Posts

    • RalphQuinn
      Lake Area Quickies

      By RalphQuinn · Posted

      True. The kids were being recruited after the latest firing went astray. The guy in the background is trying to see where Bang Gunley landed. I believe it was in the Pool of Industry, though some insist he was skewered on the Coca Cola carillon.
    • Bill Cotter
      Lake Area Quickies

      By Bill Cotter · Posted

      Those kids look like they were worried the clowns were going to put them in the cannon.
    • RalphQuinn
      Lake Area Quickies

      By RalphQuinn · Posted

          Quaker Oats featured their "puffed wheat" gun, mounted on a truck bed near the family telephone booth. The human cannonball must be eating lunch somewhere, before the next show starts.     Send in the clowns.     I believe this ride was part of Funland. In a rush to get the shot, I caused some camera motion.   Following are maps of three entertainment venues I didn't photograph.              
    • waynebretl
      What to Do in Chicago?

      By waynebretl · Posted

      Hi, Regarding art, you must have meant the Art Institute. The Field Museum is a natural history museum originally established to purchase and preserve artifacts from the World's Columbian Exposition. It is on the museum campus, which is walkable from Willis Tower, although if you do walk rather than taking a taxi, it won't leave a much time for exploring the museum. Also on the museum campus are the Shedd Aquarium and the Adler Planetarium. If you go by taxi, you could explore any one of these in the time you have available. Jackson park is too far to walk and would take you through some questionable neighborhoods beside; you would have to take a taxi. The Museum of Science and Industry, formerly the Fine Arts building of the Columbian Exposition, is impressive on the outside as one of the finest examples of neoclassic architecture. Like the other major museums, you would only be able to get a brief flavor of the exhibits in the time you have. Another activity I would recommend, although not directly connected to the fairs, is to take an architectural river cruise. Look for one associated with the Chicago Architectural Foundation:
      https://www.architecture.org/experience-caf/tours/detail/chicago-architecture-foundation-river-cruise-aboard-chicagos-first-lady-cruises/   Here's a link to photos of "One Fine Day in Downtown Chicago" (August 2010) https://www.flickr.com/photos/42002845@N02/albums/72157624754390397  
    • RalphQuinn
      A Look at the Greece Pavilion

      By RalphQuinn · Posted

                    I first sat on the Parthenon steps in 1953 and looked out at the lovely maidens supporting a roof of the Erechtheum nearby. In 2011 the Parthenon wasn't so charming because of much scaffolding and other equipment used for restoring. But the maidens were still as appealing! The nearby structures appear to be the Theater of Herodes Atticus and the lengthy Stoa of Eumenes.   Parthenon and Stoa.        

  • Who's Online (See full list)

    There are no registered users currently online

  • Forum Statistics

    • Total Topics
      15,432
    • Total Posts
      112,541