RECENT POSTS ABOUT THE HISTORY OF THE COLUMBIAN EXPOSITION’S BUILDING, FAIRGROUNDS, EXHIBITS, EVENTS, AND PEOPLE.
Fourth at the Fair, Part 8: Ringing the Columbian Liberty Bell
The Fourth of July at the 1893 World's Columbian Exposition in Chicago was the biggest day yet at the Fair.
Fourth at the Fair, Part 7: Salute of the Flags
The Fourth of July at the 1893 World's Columbian Exposition in Chicago was the biggest day yet at the Fair.
Fourth at the Fair, Part 6: Mayor Carter Harrison Swings a Sword
The Fourth of July at the 1893 World's Columbian Exposition in Chicago was the biggest day yet at the Fair.
Fourth at the Fair, Part 5: The Opening Address of Vice President Adlai Stevenson
The Fourth of July at the 1893 World's Columbian Exposition in Chicago was the biggest day yet at the Fair.
Fourth at the Fair, Part 4: The Platform Party Arrives
The Fourth of July at the 1893 World's Columbian Exposition in Chicago was the biggest day yet at the Fair.
Fourth at the Fair, Part 3: A Sea of Patriots Floods the Fairgrounds
The Fourth of July at the 1893 World's Columbian Exposition in Chicago was the biggest day yet at the Fair.
Fourth at the Fair, Part 2: Liberty Bells Old and New
The Fourth of July at the 1893 World's Columbian Exposition in Chicago was the biggest day yet at the Fair.
Fourth at the Fair, Part 1: Planning “America Day”
The Fourth of July at the 1893 World's Columbian Exposition in Chicago was the biggest day yet at the Fair.
June 13, 2026: “A Sweet Beginning: Milton Hershey at the 1893 World’s Fair” (Hershey, PA)
The Hershey Story, a museum dedicated to the legacy of chocolatier Milton S. Hershey, is hosting a special 1893 World’s Fair event on June 13 and 14, 2026. “A Sweet Beginning: Milton Hershey at the 1893 World’s Fair” will feature music, performers, period actors, and (of course) sweet treats as they celebrate how the Pennsylvania entrepreneur’s visit to the Columbian Exposition sparked a new business line in chocolates. In 1893, the World’s Fair in Chicago introduced Americans to innovations that would shape the modern world—among them, chocolate-making technology that would forever change Milton S. Hershey’s future. While attending the [...]
“Jackson Park was born over the furious objections of Chicagoans”
“Jackson Park was born over the furious objections of Chicagoans,” writes Chicago Sun-Times columnist Neil Steinberg [Full story: https://chicago.suntimes.com/columnists/2026/06/12/obama-presidential-center-jackson-park-history-worlds-columbian-exposition-frederick-law-omsted] Prompted by the opening of the Obama Presidential Center, Steinberg reviews some of the controversies in the long history of Jackson Park, from its 1869 founding to its 1881 renaming to its 1890 selection as the fairgrounds for the World’s Columbian Exposition. Several private organizations have moved onto parkland since then, with the newest bring a fresh round of opposition and excitement. Changes to Frederick Law Olmsted’s South Side gem have always been accompanied by “much controversy and fanfare.” [Support [...]