Between the first of May and the end of October, an estimated 27 million people attended Chicago’s World’s Columbian Exposition (Worlds Columbian Exposition), also known as Chicago World’s fair of 1893. This fair was planned to celebrate the 400th anniversary of Christopher Columbus voyage and discovery of the New World. However the fair was a year late due to political arguments. The exposition covered 630 acres in Jackson Park and the Midway Plaisance. , and featuring nearly 200 new buildings (History Files).
The inspiration for the World Columbian Exposition was part of the success of the Paris expositions in 1878 and 1888. The rivalry and competition between the two countries made the fair a great success. In 1888, the United States Congress passed a bill to allow for an exposition celebrating Christopher Columbus’ discovery of the Americas. Several major cities competed to host the exposition, including New York, Washington, D. C. , St. Louis, and Chicago. Even though Chicago wasn’t the most popular city in the U. S, or the most clean, it was a city filled with slaughter houses and the smell from them.
Much to everyone’s surprise on April 25, 1890, President Benjamin Harrison announced Chicago as the winner for the location of the fair. The city was the most reasonable host because of its central location and abundant park space (1893 World’s Columbian Exposition). Forty-six nations participated in the fair (Appelbaum 2). Each nation brought something interesting to the fair such as culture and architecture. The Exposition was an influential event on the American society. The fair made a great impact on architecture, technology, and culture. As an architectural show the Exposition was extraordinarily successful.
There were nearly 200 new buildings build just for the fair. Carroll William Westfall, a professor of Architecture at the University of Notre Dame said, “Louis Sullivan, Frank Lloyd Wright, and others in their circle have justifiably made Chicago a Mecca for those who love architecture” (Stone, 7). A lot of the fairs attractions were the building. Leading exhibitor’s organization officially complained that the exposition was not an industrial fair at all, but an architectural show (Appelbaum, 5). The buildings were very fascinating and specifically built.
Chicago got the approval of hosting the World’s Fair in 1890, so builders had less than 3 years to create the new soon to be called the White City. Due to limited time the invention of spray paint was created. “Many writers see the necessity for speed as a major influence on the decision that created the White City. The white paint was applied by compressed air squirt guns which were used here for the first time on a major project” (Appelbaum, 5). Painting with a brush by hand would have taken an enormous amount of time and it would have never been finished in time.
Architecture Building was 800 feet long and 500 feet wide and occupied about 10 acres (Rosenberg, 108). This building consisted of foreign exhibits in the eastern part of the ground floor. The invention of “staff,” or stucco, covered the buildings, giving them a magnificent whiteness and dazzling visitors who arrived at the rail terminal just outside the Fair’s gates (Muccigrosso, 182). This was how the image of the White City was created. Chicago tired to embrace the classical architecture, but at the same time incorporate their own new ideas.
They wanted to show the worlds that they knew how to build well. One of the most popular architectures that came out of the fair was the Farris Wheel. The Paris Exposition was dominated by Gustave Eiffel’s tower, the Eiffel tower was 986 feet, or 75 stories, and weighed over 7,300 tons The Chicago World’s Fair was created to be greater than the fair that Paris held in 1889. The people in charge of the Fair had a goal to make something more magnificent and beautiful than the Eiffel Tower. George Ferris submitted several different designs to the designers.
After the committee turned down Ferris three times, the designers finally accepted his idea of a great wheel. Ferris’ first three plans were rejected because they believed such an elaborate and complex wheel would create many dangers, not only for the people riding it, but also for the builders His ideas were treated as those of a lunatic, and he became known as “The Man with Wheels in his Head. ” The engineers and architects of the Saturday Afternoon Club believed he was making a fool of himself, they all believed that his wheel could not be built or, if it could, it wouldn’t be able to operate.
But Ferris kept on trying and after much effort and hard work, the Committee granted him a concession to build the Wheel, not in Jackson Park, the main grounds, but in Central Avenue on the Midway (Chicago’s Great Ferris Wheel of 1893). In 1893 George Farris created world’s first and biggest Farris wheel. The actual wheel was 250 feet in diameter but the full height at the top was 264 feet. This wheel was able to fit 60 people in every car. Even though it wasn’t as big as the Eiffel Tower. The Ferris wheel was a great influence on today’s architectures.
Today a Ferris wheel is used in almost every amusement park. Chicago has its own Ferris wheel at Navy Pier. Not only did the Ferris wheel affect architecture it also affected technology. The Ferris wheel had to use lots of electricity to run it. Perhaps the most important new technology on display at the fair was electricity. It took 43 steam engines and 127 dynamos powered the fair. The World’s Columbian Exposition was the world’s first electric fair and the Electric Building was the first ever to show off and demonstrate the new technology.
In the Electricity Building, visitors saw the introduction of the telephone, the phonograph, the typewriter, the elevator, electric lamps, sewing machines, laundry machines, and irons. These exhibits demonstrated how electricity could revolutionize both industry and the home. Technological innovation became and has remained a cornerstone of American identity. According to the official 1893 guidebook, “here were located the most novel and brilliant exhibits of the exposition” (Rosenberg, 128). Not only were the exhibits fascinating but the building itself was interesting.
At the entrance to the building was a large statue of Benjamin Franklin with his kite. Since Franklin was the “father” of science and invention of new technology. The Electric Building was 700 feet long and 345 feet wide. The entrance faced the Grand basin, and it was written that “it is quite likely that there was nowhere else on the grounds a portal so grand and beautiful” (Stone, 17). Two levels of Corinthian columns and pilasters and an arch were topped by a decorative pediment with figures that represented electricity. Electricity was another important part of the fair.
On the Opening Day as President Cleveland officially opened the fair by pushing a golden telegraph that completed a circuit to start the 3,000 horsepower steam engine that powered many of the fair’s attractions. The buildings and pathways were lit up by 8,000 arc lamps and 130,000 incandescent lamps (Rosenberg 128). Thomas Edison had the idea of the light bulb in 1879. Thomas Edison decided to make an 82 foot tower to show off his invention at the World’s Fair. The tower featured 1,800 lights. Each light had a colorful gem placed in front of it and the lights were choreographed to the Blue Danue Waltz.
The Tower was the main exhibit in the electricity building. Just like the Ferris wheel electricity was a great invention. To this day we still use this invention daily. The invention of electricity was a big step in technology. Electrical power helped America be the leading economy of the world. The Fair helped change Americans’ reactions to technology, it became the hopes and dreams of Americans. Dreams and goals shape who the citizens of America are, and their culture. The Chicago world’s fair introduced and influenced the culture of Americans.
There were several of new foods and brands that appeared at the fair such as Cracker Jack snack, Aunt Jemima syrup, zippers, and moving pictures. In 1893, Cracker Jack was displayed at the Chicago World’s Fair. Rueckheim and his brother, Louis, were the first to add peanuts to the popcorn. Louis Rueckheim discovered a process that kept the molasses-covered popcorn morsels from sticking together. Cracker Jack got its name from a salesman who tried Cracker Jack for the first time. When Louis gave the popcorn to him, he yelled, “Cracker Jack! ” “Cracker Jack” originally meant “awesome! ” or “wonderful! “(Badger, 109).
From that Cracker Jack is known as a baseball snack, from the song “Take me out to the Ball game”. Another invention was Aunt Jemima’s instant made pancakes and syrup. It is one of the easiest ways to make pancakes. People may still be preparing pancakes by hand if it was not for the invention of the ready-mixed pancake flour. Chris L. Rutt and Charles G. Underwood bought the Pearl Milling Company in 1889 (Badger, 121). The idea for ready-mixed pancake flour was theirs, and they began producing it that same year. Rutt thought of the name Aunt Jemima while he was listening to a vaudeville radio show.
Unfortunately, the two went bankrupt in 1890 and had to sell the formula to the R. T. Davis Milling Company. This company marveled at the idea of the pancake mix and searched right away for the perfect woman to represent the food. Davis hired a woman named Nancy Green, an African-American cook from Chicago. When the product was first shown to consumers, Nancy Green demonstrated how to use the mix. Nancy Green was called the ‘Pancake Queen’ by the Fair officials and people loved her. She signed a lifetime contract with the Davis Milling Company and she toured the country promoting the Pancake Mix until her death in 1923(Badger, 122-123).
Although she no longer lives, her figure can be seen on millions of syrup bottles, boxes of pancake mix, and various other foods. All of these new inventions have an influence in today’s society because we use these products and materials in our everyday lives. At the fair there were “mini Europe’s” meaning they had different European building and exhibits representing their own country. At the time Chicago was such a corrupt and dirty city, it was never expected to be the host of a world’s fair. It is interesting that Chicago was called the white city because of the white buildings that were built for the fair.
However in actuality before the fair, Chicago was a dark and black city. The World’s Columbian Exposition was not only a celebration of Christopher Columbus and his voyages to the New World, but it was also a cultural statement, a societal influencer, and a reflection of America and the new hopes of a new age and world. Modern America would not have been the same had the World’s Columbian Exposition not existed. The influence of the Fair’s ideas reached millions of Americans, reinforcing their beliefs, encouraging pride in their country and culture.
