An Archive of Past Events
Relating to the 1893 World’s Fair
Aug 27, 2020: “Wonders of the 1893 World’s Fair” online presentation (Chicago Detours)
Chicago Detours will be offering a virtual tour of the World's Columbian Exposition fairgrounds on Thurs, August 27, starting at 6 pm (central time). The 50-minute virtual tour led via Zoom shares the inventions, engineering feats, and gastronomical exhibits that wowed visitors to the 1893 World’s Fair. Tickets for the online event can be purchased for $15 at https://chicagodetours.rezdy.com/406501/wonders-of-the-1893-world-s-fair
Aug. 11, 2020: “Britannia Visits the White City”: the Peter family and the World’s Columbian Exposition of 1893 (Washington D.C.)
What was it like to attend the 1893 World's Columbian Exposition in Chicago? A first-hand account from Martha Washington’s great-grandchild is the basis of “Britannia Visits the White City,” a lecture sponsored by the DAR Museum in Washington on August 11, 2020. Washington descendant Britannia W. Kennon, a seventy-eight-year-old owner of the Georgetown estate of Tudor Place, spent a week with her family at the Chicago World’s Fair in 1893. Her surviving letters and postcards in the archives of Tudor Place Historic House & Garden will be the basis of this talk by curator Grant Quertermous. “Britannia Visits the [...]
June 13, 2020: LGBT Chicago History in 1893 (Virtual Tour)
To celebrate Pride month, Chicago Detours is offering an "LGBT CHICAGO HISTORY IN 1893 VIRTUAL TOUR" on Saturday, June 13, 2020, at 2:30 pm. This special tour was intended to be a walking tour in the Chicago Loop, but instead will be available as an online program and open to everyone. The tour will explore stories of gay and lesbian history from the 19th-century, set against the backdrop of the 1893 World’s Fair Tour. While digging into how and why the World’s Columbian Exposition still captures imaginations more than 125 years later, the virtual tour will illuminate the LGBT [...]
CANCELLED May 30, 2020: Ride Like the Devil in a “Devil in the White City” Bike Tour (Chicago)
This event has been cancelled. The Chicago History Museum is offering a “Ride Like the Devil: a Devil in the White City Bike Tour” on Saturday, May 30, 2019, from 9:45 am to 12:45 pm. Cycle back to 1893, pedal past sites related to the World’s Fair, and discover its lasting influence on Chicago. Along the way, tour guide Greg Borzo, author of Where to Bike Chicago, will uncover Daniel Burnham’s grand plans and the devilish doings of H. H. Holmes. The route will take riders past the site of one of the greatest attractions of the Columbian Exposition, [...]
May 28, 2020: “Wonders of the 1893 World’s Fair Part 2” Virtual Historic Happy Hour (Chicago Detours)
Grab a refreshment of choice and join Chicago Detours for a Historic Happy Hour on Thurs, May 28, when the theme is “Wonders of the 1893 World’s Fair Part 2.” Executive Director, Amanda, will offer a virtual tour of the World's Columbian Exposition and highlight the industrial, engineering, and gastronomical inventions that wowed visitors to Chicago's White City. The even runs from 6-6:30 pm CST. The event is free but requires registration.
May 20, 2020: A Tale of Two Fairs (Chicago Architecture Center)
Forty years after the 1893 World's Columbian Exposition, Chicago again hosted the world for the Century of Progress. Chicago Architecture Center (CAC) docent Ellen Shubart will compare the two—and explain why one is talked about so much more often than the other today—in a video lecture "A Tale of Two Fairs" at 7 pm on Wednesday, May 20, 2020. The program will be hosted on Zoom; registered guests will receive an email directly from Zoom on the day of the program with details about how to access and view it. The cost is $8 for the public and free [...]
May 15, 2020: Virtual Tour of the 1893 World’s Fair (online)
Chicago "history detective" Ray Johnson will offer a virtual tour of the 1893 World's Columbian Exposition fairgrounds at 4 pm (Central) on May 15, 2020. The webinar, offered by Vamonde, is free but registration is required.
CANCELLED May 9, 2020: Devil in the White City Bus Tour
Experience the murder, magic, and madness at the fair that changed America on a 4-hour bus tour offered by the Chicago History Museum on Saturday, May 9, 2020, starting at 1 pm. Inspired by Erik Larson’s best-selling book (soon to be a miniseries), this tour will take you back to 1893 with historian Al Walavich, to follow the trails of Daniel Burnham and the devilish doings of H. H. Holmes. Visit the historic fairgrounds, the Garden of the Phoenix in Jackson Park, and discover what has become an iconic Chicago story. Tickets are $55 ($45 for CHM members) and available for purchase [...]
May 6, 2020: Women of the 1893 World’s Fair (Chicago Architecture Center)
Several women played significant roles in making the 1893 World’s Fair a spectacularly grand affair. Chicago Architecture Center (CAC) docent Kathleen Carpenter will introduce you to these remarkable women artists, activists, and achievers in a video lecture "Women of the 1893 World's Fair" at 7 pm on Wednesday, May 6, 2020. The program will be hosted on Zoom; registered guests will receive an email directly from Zoom on the day of the program with details about how to access and view it. The cost is $8 for the public and free for CAC members. For more information and a [...]
Apr. 29, 2020: A Tale of Two Fairs (Chicago Architecture Center)
Forty years after the 1893 World's Columbian Exposition, Chicago again hosted the world for the Century of Progress. Chicago Architecture Center (CAC) docent Ellen Shubart will compare the two—and explain why one is talked about so much more often than the other today—in a video lecture "A Tale of Two Fairs" at 7 pm on Wednesday, April 29, 2020. The program will be hosted on Zoom; registered guests will receive an email directly from Zoom on the day of the program with details about how to access and view it. The cost is $8 for the public and free [...]