On May 11, the American history podcast BackStory released episode #0238, an hour-long exploration of the Columbian Exposition titled “Shock of the New: The Legacy of the 1893 World’s Fair.”

Hosts Ed Ayers, Nathan Connolly, and Joanne Freeman invite listeners to visit the fairgrounds starting with a segment called “Dreaming Bigger.” Historian Bernie Carlson then explores the role of electricity at the fair in “Electric Feel.” Purdue University Associate Professor & Director Women’s Studies Tracey Jean Boisseau highlights the “Woman’s Pavilion” while Historian Robert Rydell (author of All the World’s a Fair) tours the Midway Plaisance in “Midway Fun.” In “The Haytian Pavilion,” Historian Christopher Reed reviews community building among African Americans, while University of Virginia Religious Studies professor Matt Hedstrom reviews the Parliament of the World’s Religions in “Old Time Religion.”

The Electricity Building [Image from Picturesque World’s Fair. An Elaborate Collection of Colored Views (W. B. Conkey, 1894).]