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Fun
Facts
about the "Fair to Remember"
Called "America’s
coming-of-age party," the World's Columbian Exposition—also known as
the Chicago World's Fair—was meant to
show the world America was more than a land of uncouth ruffians.
In this it succeeded,
probably beyond its founders’ wildest dreams. By the time it was all over,
America had established her position as a forward-thinking, cultured nation,
and innovations such as the Ferris wheel and the Midway, hamburgers and
carbonated soda, Cracker Jacks and ragtime music had become American
institutions.
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Famous Firsts
The following
items are part
of our everyday lives today. . .
but they were all introduced to
America at the 1893 World's
Columbian Exposition |
Famous
Visitors
In the six months the
fair was open,
over 27 million people came through
its gates.
Among them were
such notables as: |
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the Midway
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the Ferris wheel
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Cracker Jacks
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Shredded Wheat
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Cream of Wheat
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Quaker Oats
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Juicy Fruit Gum
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diet carbonated soda
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"elongated" souvenir
pennies
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Edison's Kinetoscope
(forerunner of the
motion picture)
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first commemorative
coins issued by the
U.S. mint |
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Thomas Edison
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Scott Joplin
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Frederick Douglass
w Jane Addams
w the Infanta Eulalia,
princess of
Spain
w Susan B. Anthony
w "Buffalo Bill" Cody
w Elias Disney (Walt's
father helped
build
the site for the fair.
Did the stories he told
young Walt inspire the
Magic Kingdom?)
w L. Frank Baum (author
of The
Wizard of Oz)
Baum visited the
exposition numerous
time, and may have
drawn inspiration for
the Emerald City from
the fair's "White
City."
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If You Want to Learn More.
. .
There's a wealth
of information available online about the "Fair to Remember." Here are a
few of my favorite links:
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Interactive Guide to the World's Columbian Exposition
Find out how much it cost to take a turn on the Ferris wheel
or ride in a gondola.
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The World's Columbian
Exposition: Idea, Experience,
Aftermath
Stroll around the grounds on a virtual tour.
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World's Columbian Exposition
of 1893
An incredible resource from the digital history
collection of the Paul V.
Galvin Library, Illinois
Institute of Technology.
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