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The Great Aussie Apple Race to the 1893 World’s Fair

In the spring of 1893, two apple barrels in New South Wales, Australia, embarked on separate paths in a race around the globe. Heading in opposite directions, they reunited inside the Horticultural Building at the 1893 World’s Columbian Exposition in Chicago. Which apples won, red or gold? How many days did it take? How did they stay fresh for so long? Find out about their journey in the story below, from the June 7, 1893, issue of the Chicago [...]

By |2023-09-23T18:10:16-05:00October 21st, 2023|Categories: REPRINTS|Tags: , |0 Comments

Walt Disney Birthplace Home Opens in Chicago

For two days, lines stretched around the block as hundreds of visitors waited to enter the small cottage of an 1893 World’s Fair worker. Perhaps they came because his son, Walt Disney, was born in this home at 2156 N. Tripp Avenue in Chicago. Long lines of visitors stretched around the block to get into the newly opened Walt Disney Birthplace Home on October 14-15, 2023. The Walt Disney Birthplace Home opened to the public for the [...]

By |2023-10-16T09:45:03-05:00October 16th, 2023|Categories: NEWS|Tags: , |0 Comments

Sep. 14, 2023 – Jan. 13, 2024: Harriet Monroe & the Open Door (Chicago)

The temporary exhibition Harriet Monroe & the Open Door at the Poetry Foundation in Chicago showcases the fascinating line connecting today’s world-renowned poetry magazine back to a poem written for the 1893 World’s Fair. Archival documents and photographs on display with accompanying descriptive texts tell the story of Harriet Monroe, her “Columbian Ode” poem, and the landmark copyright lawsuit that helped launch Poetry magazine. Part of the exhibition display for Harriet Monroe & the Open Door at the [...]

An Awful Memory from Chicago Day, 1893

Described as “the greatest gathering in history” and the “grandest spectacle in modern times,” Chicago Day smashed all attendance figures at the 1893 World's Fair. On October 9, over three-quarters of a million of people gathered on the fairgrounds to commemorate the twenty-second anniversary of the Great Chicago Fire of 1871 and to celebrate the great city that emerged from the flames to host the Columbian Exposition. One float in the evening parade offered a most poignant reflection of [...]

By |2023-10-09T07:57:17-05:00October 9th, 2023|Categories: REPRINTS|Tags: |0 Comments

“No Holmes Barred!” A World’s Fair Radio Show Podcast

History, hilarity, and histrionics characterize a new satirical radio-show podcast about the 1893 World’s Fair in Chicago. No Holmes Barred! is written, directed, and produced by Daniel Ciarrocchi (you may have seen him on Jeopardy!) and tells the dual stories of Daniel Burnham’s construction of the fairgrounds in Jackson Park and the bloody trail of murderer H. H. Holmes in nearby Englewood. If this premise sounds like a certain best-selling work of narrative nonfiction that introduced millions of readers [...]

Nov. 12, 2023: “Collectibles from Chicago’s Two World’s Fairs” (Chicago)

The Glessner House in Chicago is hosting an event showcasing collections from both the 1893 World's Columbian Exposition and the 1933-34 Century of Progress. On Sunday, November 12, 2023, "Collectibles from Chicago's Two World's Fairs" will bring together several World's Fair collectors who will exhibit a portion of their collections, ranging from guidebooks, postcards, tickets, and commemorative coins to wall hangings, glass and ceramic tchotchkes, plates, and silver spoons. We will be bringing some items from our collection and [...]

By |2023-12-28T10:39:51-06:00October 5th, 2023|Categories: COLLECTING, EVENTS (past)|Tags: , |0 Comments

This Side Up: The OTHER Man Who Mailed Himself to the Midway in a Box

[Continued from Part 1 of this article.] Millions of visitors poured into Chicago during the 1893 World’s Fair. They arrived by train, boat, carriage, wagon, horseback, bicycle, and several even walked. A few others chose, well … less conventional modes of transport. For example, Herman Zeitung—the Austrian tailor, small in stature but big in bravery—mailed himself C.O.D. to the 1893 World’s Columbian Exposition. When he popped out of his cargo box on July 28, officials must have thought “Oh, [...]

By |2023-10-05T07:27:43-05:00October 4th, 2023|Categories: HISTORY|Tags: |1 Comment

This Side Up: The Man Who Mailed Himself to the Midway in a Box

Despite having nearly 120,000 people enter the fairgrounds on Friday, July 28, this was the slowest day of the week at the 1893 World’s Columbian Exposition. The day before had been a busy one, with Commercial Travelers and German Turners pouring into the Chicago fair for their "special days." Among the few events on Friday was the opening of an interesting package in the Woman’s Building. The box contained a gift from Empress Elisabeth of Austria to the Board [...]

By |2023-10-05T07:24:01-05:00October 3rd, 2023|Categories: HISTORY|Tags: , , |1 Comment

Oct 19-20, 2023: “The Art of Dying: The Death in the Columbian Exposition” (Lombard, IL)

The Lombard Historical Society will explore some devilry in the White City at an event titled "The Art of Dying: The Death in the Columbian Exposition." Guests will learn about the 1893 World's Columbian Exposition and the murders of H. H. Holmes in the context of Lombard, Illinois. Tours begin at 6, 7, and 8 pm on Thursday, October 19 and Friday, October 20, 2023 at the Lombard Historical Society and Victorian Cottage (23 W Maple Street in Lombard, [...]

By |2023-11-05T17:54:30-06:00October 2nd, 2023|Categories: EVENTS (past)|0 Comments

Nov. 11, 2023: “Perspective of Wonder” talk by Cindy Angell Keeling (Chicago)

“Perspective of Wonder: A Tour of the 1893 World’s Columbian Exposition” By Cindy Angell Keeling Saturday, November 11, from 2:00-3:00 p.m. Chicago Public Library, Uptown Branch (929 W. Buena Ave.) Author Cindy Angell Keeling will offer a fascinating introduction to the spectacular Chicago World’s Fair in her presentation "Perspective of Wonder: A Tour of the 1893 World’s Columbian Exposition" on Saturday, November 11, 2023. In this entertaining presentation, Cindy will take you on a tour of the fairgrounds using [...]

By |2023-12-28T10:40:12-06:00September 28th, 2023|Categories: EVENTS (past)|0 Comments
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