Opening Day at the 1893 World’s Fair

Opening Day at the World’s Columbian Exposition, May 1, 1893, brought “the greatest crowd Chicago has ever seen or probably ever will witness” into Jackson Park. The tally of total visitors inside the fairground, was close to 400,000, with 242,000 people buying tickets at the gate and another 150,000 arriving with pre-purchased souvenir tickets. The event may have been the greatest crowd Chicago had ever seen, but the record soon would be broken.

Imagining such a “surging sea of humanity” from the perspective of May 1, 2019, is strange and sobering. We hope our readers are staying safe and healthy. If you would like to take a vacation to May 1, 1893, we offer a day packed with incredible events, including:

The preparation for Chicago’s Day of Days

Morning on the Fairgrounds

Presidential Procession to the Fairgrounds

A Sea of Humanity

Paine’s “Columbian March”

Invocation by the Blind Chaplain

Reading of “The Prophecy”

Wagner’s “Rienzi” Overture

The Address by Director-General Davis

President Grover Cleveland’s Address

The Great Transformation Scene

The Banquet of Nations

Tour of the Fairgrounds

The Greatest Crowd

Fate of the Key