What is a World's Fair?
A World's Fair, or Exposition, is a chance for countries around to world to showcase the culture, lifestyles and products that have made their country unique, as well as to introduce new inventions or products to the world. Some Fairs include themes around which the participating nations need to build their presentations and displays. For example, at the most recent World's Fair in 2012 (Expo 2012 held in South Korea) the theme was "The Living Ocean and Coast." Countries displayed their own relationships and advancements in terms of ocean exploration, preservation and utilization. The US display included a variety of films as well as personal statements by US politicians and other famous personalities discussing their love of and connection to the ocean.
Although World's Fairs rose in popularity during the Industrial Revolutions of the mid-to-late 19th Century, mostly as a way to display the advancements occurring rapidly across the globe during that period, they continue to be held today, although with less frequency and fanfare. Today, official Fairs or Expos are held every five years, although countries can apply to hold additional Fairs as well. Plans have already been set for Fairs in 2015, 2017 and 2020.
Although World's Fairs rose in popularity during the Industrial Revolutions of the mid-to-late 19th Century, mostly as a way to display the advancements occurring rapidly across the globe during that period, they continue to be held today, although with less frequency and fanfare. Today, official Fairs or Expos are held every five years, although countries can apply to hold additional Fairs as well. Plans have already been set for Fairs in 2015, 2017 and 2020.
What Do the Exhibits Look Like?
Exhibits or displays vary by country, year, and advancements, but they do share one thing in common: Each nation is attempting to promote their own country and show what makes them unique. From towering full-scale buildings to charming street-side market displays, each exhibit is as unique as the country it represents. Keep in mind, however, it's all propaganda intended to draw in investors, tourists and increase political clout.
Some displays during the 1893 World's Fair in Chicago (made famous by the 2009 book The Devil in the White City contained living humans on display, like "wild Indians" and humans of non-white races, meant to show the traditional lifestyles of different nations. Others were simply architectural wonders showing the typical building design in one country or another. Either way, the displays were both impressive to view and, in many cases, educational for all.
|
The establishment of "Human Zoos" at these early World's Fairs is seen by many today as a dark reminder of the racism that has existed throughout the world. To learn more about this history, see the video below, a portion of the documentary The Human Zoo: Science's Dirty Little Secret.
The exhibits below were part of the 1933 Chicago World's fair. As can be seen, each country's exhibit can clearly be linked to a part of the nation's culture or new ideas and inventions.
Inventions and the World's Fair
Another aspect of a World's Fair has always been the introduction of new inventions and products, many of which are still in existence today. For many years, introducing an invention at the World's Fair was the best way to get your ideas out to the public. An incomplete list of inventions introduced at Fairs of the past includes:
- The telephone, 1876
- The Ferris wheel, 1893
- The electric outlet, 1904
- The diesel engine, 1900
- The X-ray machine, 1904
- The baby incubator, 1904
- The electric typewriter, 1904
- An early version of a fax machine, 1904
- The Poulson Telegraphone (an answering machine), 1904
- A coffee maker, 1904
- A flying machine, 1904
- The ice cream cone, iced tea and the hot dog, 1904
- Commercial broadcast television, 1939
- Speech synthesis, 1939
- Videoconferencing, 1964
- IMAX, 1970
- Touch screen computing, 1982