The Columbian Exposition

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The Columbian Exposition
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• May 1 October 30, 1893

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A Worlds Fair was expensive!

• Fairs were held in world-class cities
• The host city needed to construct a collection of
  buildings to house the exposition exhibits
• A fair tried to showcase the city hosting it as
  well as all the worlds advances in technology,
  the arts, and other cool things
• Before 1893, fairs were held in such places as..

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New York, 1853
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London, 1862
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Philadelphia, 1876
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Paris,1889, where the Eiffel Tower was unveiled
to the world
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After the US Centennial in 1876.

• Americans began brainstorming an exposition to
  commemorate the
• 400th anniversary of Columbuss discovery
• of this continent
• Columbus arrived in 1492, so the fair was planned
  for 1892
• BUT WHICH CITY WOULD HOST IT?

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The extremely cultured New York City seemed to be
the logical choice
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But CHICAGO had other ideas. OUR city wanted to
host the fair.
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New York City people laughed and said, Dont
pay any attention to the nonsensical claims of
that Windy City. And THAT is how we got our
famous nickname.
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SO HOW DID CHICAGO GET TO HOST THE FAIR?

• The city raised 10 million to
• finance the fair, and in 1890,
• Congress granted Chicago the
• right to host the Worlds Fair

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Daniel H. Burnham

• Frederick Law Olmstead

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Jackson Park

• Burnham
• and Olmstead Transformed a Lake Shore Swamp

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• .into a World Class Fair

• into
• a World Class Fair

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Early Constructionin Jackson Park
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One of the construction workers was Walt Disneys
father
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Manufactures Building Construction
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When it was completed, the Manufactures Building
covered 44 acres and could hold 150,000 visitors
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The invention of spray paint helped make all the
plaster buildings white
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The main part of the fair was even called the
White City
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There was a festive atmosphere in the streets of
Chicago on the day the fair opened May 1, 1893
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The Opening Ceremony took place in the
Manufactures Building
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People could get to the fair by train
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And when they arrived, they were amazed by the
wonders of the WHITE CITY
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Interesting Statistics

• The fair covered over 600 acres
• Cost 27,245,566 (over 534 million in todays
  money)
• Admission 50 cents for adults, 25 cents for
  children
• Electric Lighting over 138,000 lights
• Bathrooms 3000 (1500 of which charged a nickel)
• Two water plants, pumping out 64,000,000 gallons
  of water a day

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Electricity Building
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Electricity on display
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More Interesting Statistics

• Total attendance 27,529,400
• Best day 716,881 people (Chicago Day)
• Clean up crew 60 teams of 30 men

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Crowd on Chicago Day, October 9, 1893
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Want to know even more about the fair?

• There were moveable sidewalks and a small train
  that also moved people around the fair (similar
  to the monorail at Disneyland)
• There were full-size reproductions of the Nina,
  Pinta, and Santa Maria as well as a Viking ship
• You could take gondola rides on the lagoons
• The Columbian Fountain cost 100 an hour to
  operate

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Train at the Fair
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Transportation Building
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The interior of a Pullman Palace Railroad Car
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Most states had their own buildings. For example.

• Illinois Building
• Michigan Building
• New York Building

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So did many countries, such as Great Britain,
Brazil, France, and Germany
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Worlds Fair Food Firstsmmm, yummy!

• Aunt Jemima syrup
• Cracker Jacks
• Cream of Wheat Shredded Wheat
• Diet Carbonated Soda
• Juicy Fruit gum
• Hamburger

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And there was plenty of weird stuff, too!

• A 1500 pound Venus de Milo statue made out
  of..chocolate!
• An eleven ton hunk
• of cheese
• Butter sculptures
• A map of the US made out
• of pickles

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YOU COULD SEE A LOT OF COOL THINGS AT THE WHITE
CITY!
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AND if you wanted even MORE excitement.
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YOU COULD VISIT THE MIDWAY!
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The Midway stretched west from the White City
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On the Midway, you could ride the worlds first
Ferris Wheel
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The Ferris Wheel had 36 wooden cars that each
held 60 people.
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There were cultures represented from all over the
worldbut they were arranged according to their
level of civilization, which was often RACIST.
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The world was there, but stereotypes were often
reinforced
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Egyptian dancers on the Midway
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Buffalo Bills Wild West Show
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Civilization on the Midway was shown to
progress to the ultimate utopia the modern WHITE
CITY
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The perfect world, or utopia, was to be found for
the first time in a CITY, and not in the
countryside
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But the fair could not last forever. It ended on
October 30, 1893.
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Only one building from the actual fair grounds
remains todaycan you guess what it is from this
picture?
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The other building still standing that was
constructed to hold administrative offices for
the fair is located downtown, and it is
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SO WHAT HAPPENED TO THE REST OF THE BUILDINGS?
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• The plaster buildings were never meant to be
  permanent.
• Then, a depression broke out in 1893, followed by
  the Pullman Strike of 1894.
• Railroad workers clashed with police on the
  former fairgrounds.

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Eventually, all that was left of the fair was
burnt wreckage
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Here are Jackson Park and the Midway Plaisance
today
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HOMEWORK

• 1) Pretend you are visiting the Worlds Fair in
  1893. What did you see and do there? What did you
  eat? Describe your experiences in a 2-page letter
  or journal.
• EXTRA CREDITillustrate your letter or journal,
  and/or draw the cartoon which made fun of Chicago
  that is described in your textbook on p. 114.

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