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  1. The World's Fair Community

    1. Announcements

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

      1,073
      posts

    2. Introductions

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

      952
      posts

    3. Suggestion Box

      Submit ideas for The World's Fair Community here.

      813
      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.

      64
      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.

      184
      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.

      117
      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.

      136
      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".

      584
      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.

      8,300
      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.

      289
      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.

      211
      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.

      68,160
      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.

      3,328
      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.

      193
      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

      88
      posts

    2. 1860 to 1879

      49
      posts

    3. 1880 to 1899

      10
      posts

    4. 1900 to 1919

      176
      posts

    5. 1920 to 1939

      341
      posts

    6. 1940 to 1959

      8
      posts

    7. 1960 to 1979

      1,076
      posts

    8. 1980 to 1999

      776
      posts

    9. 2000 to 2019

      312
      posts

    10. 2020 to 2039

      • No posts here yet

    11. World's Fair Bids

      41
      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.

      149
      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.

      16,525
      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.

      3,549
      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.

      1,504
      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.

      310
      posts

  • Posts

    • Bill Cotter
      Happy Birthday to the NYWF!!!

      By Bill Cotter · Posted

      Fifty-four years ago today the gates swung open to the 1964-65 New York World's Fair, an event that would have a major impact on my future. Where have all those years gone? It seems like just yesterday.
    • Jim
      Good jobs

      By Jim · Posted

      This pavilion was a major achievement for Syracuse, my hometown.  Syracuse was the headquarters of Carrier Corporation which had relocated there from New Jersey in the mid-1930s.  It was the efforts of hundreds of Carrier employees in Syracuse which made this pavilion possible. How ironic that a refrigerator company in the northern city of Syracuse would build a cooling device that would find massive market popularity in hot, humid Southern cities which had histories of stagnant population growth due to the unpleasant muggy climate and frequent outbreaks of malaria and yellow fever in hot summer months.  Syracuse's Carrier Corporation gave rise to a population shift and the creation of the Sun Belt. Sadly, Carrier has downsized in the Syracuse metro area but legacies remain including a major traffic rotary near the NYS Thruway known as Carrier Circle and, of course, Carrier Dome, the nation's largest on-campus domed sports arena. That's Willis Haviland Carrier, founder and president of the company which bears his name standing in the center of the photograph.
    • speedwell
      Polymer, one of the lesser photographed pavilions

      By speedwell · Posted

      That is odd, considering that Disneyland built the Monsanto House of Plastic almost a decade prior.  
    • ScottChicago
      Commemorating the 125th anniversary of the Opening of the 1893 World's Fair

      By ScottChicago · Posted

      Greetings, World's Fair enthusiasts. On May 1, 1893, the Columbian Exposition opened its doors to the world in Chicago. We are counting down to the moment when President Grover Cleveland pressed the key to start the 1893 World's Fair in a series of stories about Opening Day at https://worldsfairchicago1893.com/home/blog-2/history/opening-day/. Introduction: "Chicago's Day of Days" Part 1: "Morning on the Fairgrounds" (post on April 22) Part 2: "Presidential Procession to the Fairgrounds" (post on April 23) Part 3: "A Sea of Humanity" (post on April 24) Part 4: "Paine's Columbian March" [with a new recording!] (post on April 25) Part 5: "Invocation by the Blind Chaplain" (post on April 26) Part 6: "Reading of The Prophecy"  (post on April 27) Part 7: "Wagner’s 'Rienzi' Overture”  (post on April 28) Part 8: "The Address by Director-General Davis" (post on April 29) Part 9: "The Address by President Grover Cleveland"  (post on April 30) Part 10: "The Great Transformation Scene" (post on May 1) Part 11: "Presidential Luncheon" (post on May 2) Part 12: "Tour of the Fairgrounds" (post on May 3) Part 13: "The Greatest Crowd" (post on May 4) Addendum: "Fate of the Key" (post on May 5) Enjoy!  
    • Randy Treadway
      Good jobs

      By Randy Treadway · Posted

      don't remember where I found it, but apparently it's in the Bettman/Getty Archive.  Said to be Dr. Willis H. Carrier, who coined the phrase "Air Conditioning", holding a thermometer n the Carrier igloo at the World's Fair.

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