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  1. The World's Fair Community

    1. Announcements

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

      1,099
      posts

    2. Introductions

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

      1,003
      posts

    3. Suggestion Box

      Submit ideas for The World's Fair Community here.

      813
      posts

    4. Affiliated Websites

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  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.

      80
      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.

      65
      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.

      218
      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.

      123
      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".

      595
      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.

      8,709
      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.

      305
      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.

      224
      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.

      70,447
      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.

      3,858
      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.

      196
      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

      89
      posts

    2. 1860 to 1879

      49
      posts

    3. 1880 to 1899

      39
      posts

    4. 1900 to 1919

      183
      posts

    5. 1920 to 1939

      362
      posts

    6. 1940 to 1959

      8
      posts

    7. 1960 to 1979

      1,166
      posts

    8. 1980 to 1999

      799
      posts

    9. 2000 to 2019

      316
      posts

    10. 2020 to 2039

      14
      posts

    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.

      154
      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.

      2,690
      posts

    3. Community Chat

      General discussion, something for everyone.

      16,773
      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.

      3,565
      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.

      1,550
      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.

      320
      posts

  • Posts

    • waynebretl
      Facts or confusion? Andrew Kiste book...

      By waynebretl · Posted

      I won't take time with examples of confusing writing (there are plenty), but I did find another factual error. The author says that the Soviet exhibit in Brussels included Sputnik I, which had returned from orbit after three months. Of course, it did no such thing - it had no re-entry capability and burned up. The one displayed was a copy. The author apparently read that Sputnik was displayed, and inflated that fact with his unverified idea that it was the original.  I am getting an impression that the author is a poor reader/researcher as well as a poor writer.
    • Bill Cotter
      Facts or confusion? Andrew Kiste book...

      By Bill Cotter · Posted

      I seriously doubt even back then they could seize land without compensation.
    • waynebretl
      Facts or confusion? Andrew Kiste book...

      By waynebretl · Posted

      I have started reading "Walt Disney and the 1964 1965 New York Worlds Fair - Great Moments, by Andrew Kiste, Theme Park Press, 2019. I am on page 31 of 200 pages and it's driving me crazy due to its dire need of a good editor; but I plan to finish it anyway. It's full of inept phrasing that makes you read twice to check whether you understood it, incorrect word choices, poor punctuation, and just generally raises hell with my editing instincts. In some places it switches from factual statements to apparent dramatization (e.g., regarding Disney's epiphany about amusement parks for the whole family) without properly setting it off.  Anyway, one particular claim that I cannot substantiate or refute off the top of my head is that federal housing Title I allowed eminent domain seizure of property for urban renewal WITHOUT compensation to the owners. This sounds like a major error in the text, as I thought eminent domain only allowed seizure with compensation. Can anyone comment on this? If this is an error in the text, I would take it as a red flag that perhaps much else in the book cannot be trusted.   
    • Bill Cotter
      The New York State Pavilion towers, August 1964

      By Bill Cotter · Posted

      Newly restored 35mm slide.
    • Bill Cotter
      Behold the grandeur of the Belgian Village!

      By Bill Cotter · Posted

      Undated image from 1965 season. Partly restored 35mm slide - had too much mold and stuff to make it not worth going past this point for such a "striking" view.

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