Columbian Exposition News
The enduring legacy of the 1893 World’s Fair in modern scholarship, education, the arts, creative products, preservation, and other events.
RECENT POSTS ABOUT COLUMBIAN EXPOSITION NEWS
1893 World’s Fair natural history artifact to be restored
A treasured educational display from the 1893 World’s Fair will be restored, thanks to a $2 million gift. Dyche’s Panorama, formally called the “Exhibit of Large North American Mammals,” was originally displayed inside the Kansas State Building at the Columbian Exposition before finding a permanent home at the University of Kansas. Professor Lewis Lindsay Dyche created the panorama to showcase University’s natural history and taxidermy collection and to “awaken [...]
World’s Fair bridge listed among “Chicago’s Most Endangered Buildings 2025”
Preservation Chicago released its “Most Endangered” list for 2025 (on March 4, Chicago's 188th birthday). Included with six threatened buildings is a bridge that allowed tens of millions of visitors to cross the Lagoon during the 1893 World’s Fair. Designed by renowned architectural firm of Burnham & Root, the bridge was built in 1880 and is the oldest extant structure of Frederick Law Olmsted’s original design for Jackson Park. [...]
Are the lights back on at “Devil in the White City”?
A screen version of The Devil in the White City has flickered back to life. Martin Scorsese and Leonardo DiCaprio’s project to adapt Erik Larson’s 2003 best-selling book about the Columbian Exposition, The Devil in the White City: Murder, Magic, and Madness at the Fair that Changed America, has been on-again, off-again for fifteen years. Hulu pulled the plug on a proposed miniseries in March of 2023, and all [...]
Jackson Park Prints to Support Block Club Chicago
Block Club Chicago—a nonprofit news organization dedicated to delivering reliable, nonpartisan, and essential coverage of Chicago’s diverse neighborhoods—has two gorgeous poster prints depicting remnants of the 1893 World’s Fair. The 6-by-20-inch limited-edition prints by Steve Shanabruch print are premiums for donors who purchase, gift, or upgrade a Block Club subscription by December 31, 2024. The poster for Hyde Park shows a lovely vista of the Wooded Island and the [...]
Happy Holidays from WorldsFairChicago1893!
We wish our readers a happy holiday season and best wishes in 2025!
World’s Fair beer on “Jeopardy!”
The December 2, 2024, episode of Jeopardy! offered contestants this $200 clue in the Jeopardy! round under the category of “Cheers to Beers”: After being honored at the 1893 World's Fair in Chicago, this brand added "Blue Ribbon" to its name. Evan Jones gave the correct answer of Pabst. The Pabst Brewing Company was awarded a medal at the 1893 World Columbian Exposition. The blue ribbon was the company's [...]
Maps of the 1893 World’s Columbian Exposition in the Library of Congress
Maps of the 1893 World’s Columbian Exposition fairgrounds offer a fascinating look at the evolving design of the Jackson Park campus and of the continuous changes during the run of the Fair. The Library of Congress holds many interesting specimens of World’s Fair cartography in the collection of the Geography and Map Division. Cynthia Smith’s blog post “Chicago in 1893: Selected Maps of the World’s Columbian Exposition” (December 4, [...]
2024 Columbian Exposition Gift Guide
Shopping for a gift to give a Columbian Exposition enthusiast? Or wanting to treat yourself to a little something during the holiday season? If so, check on these products relating to the 1893 World’s Fair. Note: We provide this announcement of new products without any compensation from vendors. Prices and availability subject to change. Add a Ferris Wheel to your tree with a World’s Fair Wooden Ornament from Transit [...]
Season’s Readings: 2024 Books about the World’s Columbian Exposition
Relatively few new books were added to the Columbian Exposition bookshelf this past year, but the small selection does cover several interesting topics. Three new academic works explore the Woman’s Building, model Haida Village, and Haiti Building and Frederick Douglass. A new children’s novel time-travels back to 1893. Note: We provide this announcement of new titles without any compensation from authors or publishers. We encourage shopping through independent local [...]
World’s Fair architects on “Jeopardy!”
The November 29, 2024, episode of Jeopardy! offered contestants this $400 clue in the Double Jeopardy! round under the category of “Do You Want to Build a Building?”: In 1873 Daniel Burnham & John Root started a firm to build together in this city; 2 decades later, Burnham built a fair there. Debbie Mercer, a retired special education teacher from (nearby) Oak Park, Illinois, gave the correct answer of [...]