World's Columbian Exposition

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The World's Columbian Exposition, also known as the Chicago World's Fair, was a world's fair held in Chicago from May 1 to October 30, 1893, to celebrate the 400th anniversary of Christopher Columbus's arrival in the New World in 1492. The centerpiece of the fair, held in Jackson Park, was a large water pool representing the voyage that Columbus took to the New World. Chicago won the right to host the fair over several competing cities, including New York City, Washington, D.C., and St. Louis. The exposition was an influential social and cultural event and had a profound effect on American architecture, the arts, American industrial optimism, and Chicago's image. A highlight was that Nikola Tesla and George Westinghouse showcased their alternating current (AC) system, effectively winning the war of the currents against Thomas Edison's direct current (DC). The fair was the first all-electric, featuring over 200,000 lamps powered by Tesla's polyphase system, demonstrating its superior safety...

Read on Wikipedia · Image C. D. Arnold (1844-1927); H. D. Higinbotham, Public domain