As the Fairgrounds Bern …
CHICAGO, Ill., January 23, 2021 — Our internet service provider has informed us that worldsfairchicago1893.com is obligated to contribute to the meme of the week. Here you go.
Daniel Burnham Inducted into Lincoln Academy Hall of Fame
Daniel Burnham, Director of Works for the 1893 World's Columbian Exposition, is one of five Illinois figures inducted into the Lincoln Academy of Illinois Hall of Fame of Historic Illinoisans. The Academy’s citation for Burnham reads: Daniel Burnham (1846 – 1912) is famously quoted as saying, “Make no little plans. They have no magic to stir men’s blood and probably will not themselves be realized.” He was an environmentalist, architect and urban designer. Much of his work was based on [...]
Season’s Readings: New Books about the World’s Columbian Exposition
2019 brought several additions to the World’s Columbian Exposition bookshelf.
Commonplace Fun Facts Relives the Wonder of the 1893 Chicago World’s Fair
We appreciate the invitation to “Relive the Wonder of the 1893 Chicago World’s Fair” from Commonplace Fun Facts. The website’s fascinating “collection of trivia, fun facts, humor, and interesting notions” includes a few other posts that feature some Columbian connections, including one about popcorn history and another about Chicago’s “Windy City” moniker. Check it out.
The World’s Columbian Exposition of 1893 and the Library of Congress (video)
C-SPAN is streaming a recorded lecture on “The World’s Columbian Exposition of 1893 and the Library of Congress.” In this talk, originally presented for the United States Capitol Historical Society (USCHS) on October 13, 2020, art historian Lynda Cooper reconstructs the relationship between the World’s Columbian Exposition of 1893 in Chicago and the Library of Congress’s Thomas Jefferson Building (1889–1897) in Washington, D.C. Working from an art history perspective, Cooper describes the influence the exposition had on the artists [...]
Voting Ends on Tuesday, November 3.
Just a friendly reminder from worldsfairchicago1893.com to exercise your right to vote. Voting ends on Tuesday, November 3, 2020. "Miss Chicago Up to Date" showing a suffragette posing as the Statue of the Republic from the 1893 World's Fair. [Image from the August 11, 1913, issue of The Chicago Examiner.]
Eight Famous Parks Designed by Frederick Law Olmsted
"8 Famous Parks Designed by Frederick Law Olmsted, Plus a Tiny One You May Not Know About" by Wendy Bowman reviews many of the great works by landscape architect Frederick Law Olmsted, who died on this day in 1903. Included are the fairgrounds of the 1893 World's Columbian Exposition and the adjacent (and often overlooked) Washington Park in Chicago. Olmsted & Vaux’s 1871 South Park Plan (from the Chicago Park District).
Zoom to the 1893 World’s Fair with the Chicago History Museum
Stuck in endless online conferences? Ready to escape from the confines of your home office? Try adding a background that situates you at the 1893 World's Fair. The Chicago History Museum offers several images from their collection to use as a Zoom background. Among them is a famous photograph by C. D. Arnold of the Administration Building surrounded by crowds on Chicago Day [CHM, ICHi-002201] You can download the image at https://www.chicagohistory.org/zoom/ and start "Zooming through history." [...]
Chicago00 Launches 1893 World’s Columbian Exposition VR Web Portal
Grab your Columbian Exposition return pass and head back to the 1893 World’s Fair virtually with the Chicago 00 Project, which has launched their 1893 World's Columbian Exposition VR web portal at https://1893.chicago00.org/. A partnership between the Chicago History Museum and filmmaker Geoffrey Alan Rhodes, the Chicago 00 Project has been producing a series of interactive multimedia experiences using historical images of important sites and events in Chicago. Their augmented reality app allows participant to overlay historic photos with [...]
“The Last Voyage of the Whaling Bark Progress” Raises Story of a Forgotten Ship from the 1893 World’s Fair
The Last Voyage of the Whaling Bark Progress: New Bedford, Chicago and the Twilight of an Industry by Daniel Gifford. McFarland Press, 2020. ISBN: 9781476682150. Softcover, 204 pages. $45.00. Along the eastern edge of the 1893 World’s Columbian Exposition were four different exhibits of sea craft, each with a unique story to share. The reproductions of the Spanish Caravels—the Nina, Pinta, and Santa Maria—served as a fitting commemoration of the theme of World’s Fair, Columbus’ 1492 voyage. The Viking [...]
Memorial Day 2020
Bearing the bandages, water and sponge, Straight and swift to my wounded I go, Where they lie on the ground after the battle brought in, Where their priceless blood reddens the grass the ground, Or to the rows of the hospital tent, or under the roof'd hospital, To the long rows of cots up and down each side I return, To each and all one after another I draw near, not one do I miss, An attendant follows holding [...]
When Buffalo Bill Cody Goosed the World’s Fair
In the fall of 1893, Buffalo Bill Cody “departed Chicago with a million in cash and the irony of the last laugh,” writes Matt Braun in his article “Buffalo Bill Goosed the World’s Fair” in the May 2014 issue of True West magazine. “He never paid a red cent to Burnham or the World’s Columbian Exposition,” The article offers an account of how Nate Salsbury, Cody’s partner and business manager, requested a concession from the Columbian Exposition's Committee of [...]
Yerkes Telescope Will See the Light of Day
A gargantuan scientific display the 1893 World’s Fair in Chicago has been hidden from site for months, but soon may see the light of day.
Quarantine Has Us Going to Pieces
Assembling this birds-eye-view of the 1893 World’s Fair lifted our spirits and offered a detailed visit to the fairgrounds of the Columbian Exposition, while cooperating with our stay-at-home ordinance.
Olmsted 200: The Frederick Law Olmsted Bicentennial Celebration
April 26, 2022, marks the bicentennial of the birth of Frederick Law Olmsted, landscape architect of the 1893 World’s Columbian Exposition. A celebration is being planned in honor of the author, journalist, city planner, landscape architect, public official, and creative genius who transformed the modern American landscape. Olmsted 200 will be a coordinated national and local celebration, engaging wide and inclusive audiences in examining the foundational principles of Olmsted’s democratic vision, values, and resilient designs. The Bicentennial will bring [...]
Ferris Wheel History from “Popular Science” Magazine
Popular Science magazine offers a "shockingly sad (and short) origin story" of the Ferris Wheel in their article "There was only ever one true Ferris Wheel, and we blew it up"
Video of “Eternal Light: The Sacred Stained-Glass Windows of Louis Comfort Tiffany” at the Driehaus Museum
“Eternal Light: The Sacred Stained-Glass Windows of Louis Comfort Tiffany” at the Driehaus Museum features items exhibited at the 1893 World's Columbian Exposition.
Stay Home. Stay Safe.
Stay Home. Stay Safe.
The World’s Fair That Ignored More Than Half the World
“The World’s Columbian Exposition of 1893 was a spectacle that has no real equivalent today: Think of a theme park where you can also listen to TED Talks, or the most cutting-edge trade show ever, held in obsessively manicured fairgrounds …” read the full article “The World’s Fair That Ignored More Than Half the World” by Rachel B. Tiven at JSTOR Daily.
“Celebrating the Black History of Jackson Park” Video
The Obama Foundation has released a five-minute video titled “Celebrating the Black History of Jackson Park” that features the 1893 World’s Columbian Exposition. Introduced by President Obama, the video touches upon the Haitian Pavilion, Frederick Douglass, and “Colored American Day” with historical perspectives from Chicago History Museum Assistant Curator Julius Jones, Associate Professor of History at the University of Chicago Adam Green, and President of the Jackson Park Advisory Council Louise McCurry.