A Brief History of the World’s Fair
A Brief History of the World’s Fair
A chronological view of some of the greatest gatherings of humanity
Covering topics from urban mobility and architecture to interior design and dream homes, a newsletter that reminds us where we are matters.
Hello from nyc,
I visited a neighborhood museum recently. A rendering of the Louisiana Purchase World's Fair from 1904 inspired me to write this post.
This large rendering of the exposition ground made me wonder what it must’ve been like to be a part of it: entering through the majestic gate, traversing through the arches, seeing the newest inventions of the century including the wireless telephone, X-ray machine, and the very first personal automobile.
It was exciting to be in St. Louis in the year 1904 as the first to witness the future of communications and transportation.
Louisiana Purchase Exposition (also known as the World’s Fair), Saint Louis, Missouri, 1904 (photo taken at the Jewish Museum)
I’ve been fascinated by World Expos. Expo Shanghai 2010 and Dubai 2020 were some of the most memorable experiences in my life.
Today, I want to share some research and learnings of these greatest gatherings in the world.
If you have any comments or any personal experiences to share, would love to hear from you (either respond to this email directly or send a DM!)
—
By the way, these world expositions have left behind some of the most innovative works of architecture over the past two centuries.
Eiffel Tower | Paris
Palace of Fine Arts | San Francisco
Space Needle | Seattle
Habitat 67 | Montreal
Barcelona Pavilion | Barcelona
Treasure Island | San Francisco
World’s Fair, also known as World Exposition, is a large international exhibition designed to showcase the achievements of nations. Each country typically has a pavilion (or a shared pavilion for smaller countries) where they would display achievements, innovations, or crafts they are proud of and want the world to know.
Generally speaking, world’s fairs are split into three eras:
- industrialization (1851 to 1938)
- cultural exchange (1939 to 1987)
- nation branding (1988 to present)
Despite this generalization, the earlier ones may have in some ways facilitated the promotion of national image; the ones today may very well showcase cultural treasures and insights into the nation’s history or its future.
1791 prague
The first practices that resembled a world’s fair date back to 1791 when Czech industrial products collected from 49 different regions in the kingdom were exhibited on the occasion of the coronation of Leopold II. Some of the exhibited products include textiles, mirrors, and artisan jewelry.
1798-1849 paris
exposition des produits de l'industrie française (Exhibition of Products of French Industry)
In France, similar to the Czech, industrial exhibitions were held to celebrate the new French Republic. It is worth noting that these exhibitions showcased only French products, as opposed to a true “world” fair with participation from multiple countries.
From these first expositions to that of the present day, architectural design has always been a point of attention. The budget and occasion that enabled such events resulted in a playground for architectural innovation and experimentation. In 1798, at the center of the exposition grounds, we see a marvelous Temple of Industry surrounded by a vast circle of porticos, designed by architect Jean-François Chalgrin (who later designed the Arc de Triomphe).
Exposition grounds of 1798, Paris
1851 london
the great exhibition of the works of industry of all nations
The Great Exhibition in London is most widely recognized as the first of the world’s fairs. This time, the exhibits displayed works from many different nations and set a precedent for the future.
It was established by Prince Albert who believed in the potential economic value of an exhibition that would showcase Britain’s manufacturing boom to an international audience. Around 6 million people attended and the event earned a substantial profit. This financial success ensured that world’s fairs would continue to be held and established the legacy of world’s fairs.
Known names of the time that had attended the Great Exhibition include Charles Darwin, Karl Marx, Michael Faraday, and Charles Dickens, amongst others.
“The Park presented a wonderful spectacle, crowds streaming through it, – carriages and troops passing… before we neared the Crystal Palace, the sun shone and gleamed upon the gigantic edifice, upon which the flags of every nation were flying… The tremendous cheering, the joy expressed in every face, the vastness of the building, with all its decoration and exhibits, the sound of the organ… all this was indeed moving."
The Crystal Palace, located in Hyde Park, designed by Joseph Paxton, an architect, gardener, and greenhouse builder, was designed and built for the exhibition (took just 5 months to build). It is a beautiful iron-and-glass structure based on a modular system of 10in x 49in modular units – the size of the largest glass sheet available at the time. These glass sheets are then pieced together and supported by a grid of lightweight but strong cast iron beams (image source).
1855 paris
exposition universelle
This one occupied a larger space and included exhibits from more countries than the previous one in Britain. In line with the prevailing culture of colonial expansion, the exposition displayed a plethora of products from colonial empires including Algeria, Jamaica, Malta, the Bahamas, Senegal, Madagascar, etc.
Despite a financial loss, the exposition was a success and led to a series of subsequent large-scale expositions sponsored by the government, each attracting a larger audience.
1853-54 new york
exhibition of the works of industry of all nations
In true American fashion, a private company that had attended the London fair raised capital and organized the first world’s fair in the US. Known as the New York Crystal Palace exhibition, it was held in a similar iron-and-glass greenhouse structure in Bryant Park.
One of the most impressive was the sculpture gallery. It demonstrated how expensive large-scale sculptures were made available for the American middle class.
Despite the efforts, low attendance resulted in a substantial monetary loss. It would be more than 20 years before another exposition was held in the United States.
Left: John Bachmann. Bird’s Eye View of the New York Crystal Palace and Environs, 1853. Hand-colored lithograph. Museum of the City of New York.
Right: New York Crystal Palace: section of the dome
1862 london
international exhibition
1867 paris
exposition universelle / paris international
1873 vienna
weltausstellung 1873 wien / austrian international exposition
1876 philadelphia
centennial exposition
This time in the US, the world’s fair at Fairmont Park was a success with a paid attendance of just under 10 million (when the population of the United States was 46 million). The Centennial exhibited national pride and belief in the importance of education and progress through industrial innovation.
It was the US’s one-hundredth anniversary. The event showcased products of the early Industrial Revolution in America including the 700-ton Corliss engine, the largest steam engine ever built, and new inventions such as the telephone, the typewriter, and the mechanical calculator.
In addition, the Centennial was the first to spread exhibits out over several large, topically designated pavilions, a practice that would be the standard today. 26 states each built their own pavilions as well.
Through the excitement of the exhibition, the nation was able to forgive and forget the Civil War (1861-65). The success inspired a rush of world’s fairs in the US over the next 40 years.
Bird’s Eye View, Centennial Buildings, lithograph, Philadelphia: 1875 (image source)
1878 paris
exposition universelle
The actual head of the Statue of Liberty was on display.
1880 melbourne
melbourne international exhibition
1888 barcelona
exposició universal de barcelonaz (Barcelona Universal Exposition)
30 countries participated in this exposition and over 2 million visitors came from as far away as the U.S. and China.
This exposition, like many others, was critical in helping to build public infrastructure. It was an opportunity for the city to transform the citadel site into a main public park – Parc de la Ciutadella. The layout of the present-day park is a direct product of the fair with its monumental fountain and small ponds. Even though the fair itself is temporary, what was built remains permanent.
Top left: Josep Vilaseca's Arc de Triomf formed the entrance to the fair.
Top right: General plan and illustrations of the main buildings of the 1888 Barcelona Universal Exposition (source)
1889 paris
exposition universelle
Built for the entrance of the 1889 Exposition Universelle, the Eiffel Tower became the tallest tower in the world. Close to two million came to see the tower and 30,000 or so visitors climbed the 1,710 steps monument.
The 1,063-foot-tall Eiffel Tower was designed by architect and engineer Gustave Eiffel for the 1889 exposition (source)
1891 prague
general land centennial exhibition
1893 chicago
world’s columbian exposition
The Chicago World's Fair celebrated the 400th anniversary of Christopher Columbus’s arrival in the New World (1492).
Other cities including NYC, D.C., and St. Louis competed for the right to host the fair as a way to promote their cities, as they hoped for the fair to generate profits and boost real estate values. This fair became one of the most spectacular and marked the golden age of fairs.
The US, more commercial and profit-driven than its European counterparts, undoubtedly became the first to have made the world’s fair an amusement park – a separate area from the exhibition halls was created for amusements, including carnival rides and the first Ferris Wheel in the world. This concept of the midway, or entertainment zone, thus became a staple in future fairs.
The architecture of the fair is to shape the country’s style for the next 25 years (source)
1897 brussels
brussels international exposition
1900 paris
exposition universelle
This exposition was marked by splendor with 50 million visitors and secured Paris's reputation as a leading city of the modern age.
47 countries from around the world designed and constructed their unique national pavilions, each showcasing their culture. For example, the German pavilion resembled a beer hall while the Finnish presented a clean and simple design.
Top: The fairgrounds were one of the biggest in history, spanning 543 acres with prime locations at the Champ de Mars, the Trocadero, the Esplanade des Invalides, and along the banks of Seine. The Eiffel Tower was also painted bright golden-yellow in 1900.
Bottom left: Finnish Pavilion 1900
Bottom right: German Pavilion 1900
1901 buffalo
pan-american exposition
Pan-American Exposition in Buffalo, N.Y. (source)
1904 st. louis
louisiana purchase exposition
"My eyes aren't large enough to see it all. How can there be so much in the world?" – May Fann
At this 1,272-acre fairground with nearly 1,500 buildings and an amusement venue called “the Pike”, close to 20 million people paid a visit (about a quarter of the country's population) and it became the most expensive world’s fair in the US.
In addition to X-ray machines, fax machines, and electrical exhibits by Thomas Edison, this fair presented to the world for the first time the ice cream cone.
The world’s fair became a testing ground for innovations in the field of food. Regardless of the ice cream cone’s true origins, the fair popularized this treat amongst many others including hamburgers, hot dogs (aka sausage sandwiches), and cotton candy (aka fairy floss).
In many ways, the world's fair shaped American pop culture; it was the representation of what it meant to be an American.
Legend has it that when an ice cream vendor at the fair ran out of serving cups, a nearby Syrian immigrant vendor rushed to his aid by rolling the ice cream into his sugar-covered pastries. The cones, sold as World's Fair Cornucopias, were an instant hit so that a month later, at least 50 vendors at the fair were selling the treat.
*This is the fair I wrote about at the opening of this post. Immerse ourselves in 1904 with these photos.
Top left: An overview of the Palace of Transportation and surrounding fairgrounds, photographed in 1904
Middle left: The opening day of the 1904 St. Louis World's Fair
1905 liège
iiège international
1906 milan
milan international
1910 brussels
brussels international exhibition
1913 ghent
exposition universelle et international
The years between 1880 and 1914 became the golden age of world’s fairs with more than 40 expos held. World War I brought a temporary end to the movement.
1915 san francisco
panama-pacific exposition
After World War I, some say fairs never regained the cultural status they had enjoyed before the war. Improved communication networks and transportation allowed people to learn about inventions on TV and the radio, or to travel there on their own.
Yet, over 18 million people visited the fair in San Francisco to attend scientific and educational presentations. It was the first to demonstrate a transcontinental telephone call.
Amongst the architecture from the fair still standing today is the Palace of Fine Arts and Legion of Honor, some of the architectural treasures that make San Francisco a special place. In addition to buildings, the open spaces of Marina Green and Crissy Field are both products of the landscape changes required from the event.
Left: View of the South Gardens and the Tower of Jewels at the Panama-Pacific International Exposition, 1915
Right: Panama Pacific International Exhibition stamp set, c. 1915 – Illustrations of the State pavilions
Thomas Edison, Harvey Firestone, and Henry Ford all traveled to the Pan-Pacific Exposition (image source)
1925 paris
exposition internationale des arts décoratifs et industriels modernes
This exhibition started an international design style: Art Deco (art moderne) - using motifs and symbols of modernity as a decorative statement.
The French like to set rules and standards to ensure a level of quality and to guarantee an elevated art form, as seen in the establishment of the BIE - Bureau International des Expositions in 1928 to set requirements for the Expos.
In the 1925 exposition, Paris set the requirement that no design could be based on historical styles but has to be all modern. This stipulation disqualified American participation due to a lack of designers.It is also because of these requirements that resulted in a variety of contemporary architectural styles including the USSR or the Dutch Pavilion. In addition, the 16 million visitors to the exposition created a demand for this new decorative and ornamental architectural style, at the same time establishing France as the arbiter of design and fashion.
Left: Angular geometry of Konstantin Melnikov’s U.S.S.R. Pavilion, a red and white monument in wood and glass.
Right top: Le Bon Marché, highlighting the ornamental nature of Art Deco structures with motifs including stylized floral elements, sunbursts, and zigzags.
Right middle: The Dutch pavilion, designed by J.F. Staal, was an Expressionist building composed of red brick.
Right bottom: Galeries Lafayette department store, an example of Art Deco architecture today.
1924-25 wembley
british empire exhibition
1929 barcelona
exposición internacional de barcelona
Continuing the architectural and artistic movements of the day, the 1929 exposition that took place atop the Montjuïc hill left behind an emblematic piece of the Modernist Movement – the Barcelona Pavilion (German Pavilion of the exposition) by Ludwig Mies van der Rohe and Lilly Reich, inspired generations of architects.
It is built from glass, steel, and marble with long clean lines representing the ideal of modernity. In addition, van der Rohe and Reich designed the Barcelona Chair for the Pavilion – the iconic furniture piece that is still seen in homes today.
The exposition also improved the city’s transportation network, urban landscaping, and public sanitation, leaving behind landmarks including Plaça d’Espanya and the Magic Fountain of Montjuïc.
Top: Barcelona Pavilion by Ludwig Mies van der Rohe and Lilly Reich
Bottom left: Exposición Internacional de 1929 (image source)
Bottom right: The iconic Barcelona chair
1931 paris
exposition coloniale internationale
With 33 million paid visits, the exposition showcased museums representing various colonies of the European nations.
France had amongst the most extensive colonial empires in the world with around 47 nations. The goal for the exposition as such, was to tell the story of mission civilisatrice to bring about a more “civilized” world.
1933–34 chicago
century of progress
This time in Chicago, the exposition showcased modern living, consumerism, and entertainment. Aside from stimulating spending during the Great Depression, more importantly, the fair painted a brighter future and gave people hope amidst the tough times – including the first demonstrations of house designs leveraging passive solar energy.
House of Tomorrow showcased a glass house by George Fred Keck – known as the solar house – a design at the frontiers of solar research. The building takes full advantage of the sun and saves 30% of the energy in the winter. The idea of passive solar energy is an early precursor to today’s sustainable building practices (Elmhurst Art Museum).
1935 san diego
california pacific international exposition
1936 dallas
texas centennial exposition
1937 cleveland
great lakes exposition
1935 brussels
exposition universelle et internationale
1937 paris
exposition internationale des arts et techniques dans la vie moderne
1939 san francisco treasure island
golden gate international exposition
San Francisco celebrates the city’s two newly built bridges with a fair: The San-Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge (1936) and the Golden Gate (1937).
Treasure Island, which many of us pass through on a regular basis on a commute from the East Bay into the city, is an artificial island built for this exposition. After the fair ended, the island became a Navy base with the impending war.
Top: The original plan for the island was to become San Francisco’s airport, but instead became a Naval Station until the 1990s when residential homes were built.
Bottom: Themed “Pageant of the Pacific”; Fold-out Map of Treasure Island by Ruth Taylor inside the Golden Gate International Exposition Guide Book, 1939 (image source)
1939-40 new york city
new york world’s fair
Around this time, world’s fairs took a different approach: they started to focus less on technology and industrialization and more on cultural themes and social progress.
This fair held at the Flushing Meadows-Corona Park in Queens, with 44 million in attendance, took on the theme “Building the World of Tomorrow.” It presented a look into the future with architectural models of the utopian futuristic city in the Democracity exhibit and models of the nation’s future highways in General Motors’s Futurama exhibit.
Democracity took inspiration from Le Corbusier's Ville Radieuse (Radiant City), in which different land uses—government, business, shopping, and housing are to be located in separate zoning districts. Incredibly, this vision describes a large extent of the urban planning of modern America. Thus, the 'World of Tomorrow' shaped our world today.
A a huge architectural model of “the city of the future” (source)
Futurama, the model city of 1960, with widely spaced skyscrapers, double-decked streets and parks and landing pads for helicopters shown on the roofs of low buildings.
Left: LIFE magazine features on the 1939 New York World’s Fair (source)
Right: The iconic Trylon and Perisphere
1949 haiti
exposition internationale du bicentenaire de port-au-prince
1958 brussels
brussels world's fair
1962 seattle
century 21 exposition
The theme this time is “The Age of Space” at the height of the Cold War during the space race between the US and the Soviet Union.
The Space Needle, constructed for this fair, became the symbol of the U.S.’s outer space ambitions, and similar to the Eiffel Tower has since become a defining building of Seattle’s skyline.
The 605-ft-tall Space Needle was built in eight months.
Bottom right: John Graham Jr. was the first American to design and patent a rotating restaurant (source)
1964–1965 new york
new york world's fair
Themed "Peace Through Understanding", featuring the Unisphere that still stands in Flushing today (more photos here)
1967 montreal
international and universal exposition | expo '67
In celebration of Canada’s centennial anniversary, the fair was promoted under the name “Expo 67” and thus popularized the word “expo”, retiring the term world's fair.
From an architectural perspective, we must highlight Habitat 67 by Moshe Safdie. It is an array of 354 prefabricated concrete blocks each measuring 11.8m long, 5.3m wide, and 3m high. Habitat 67 is meant to be a display of urban density in fear of suburban sprawl. The structure itself is not of high density; it instead served as an inspiration as the creative in-between of the high-rise city center and low-rise suburbia. Bjarke Ingels’s 8 House in Copenhagen is an example of an apartment complex that was influenced by Habitat 67.
Habitat 67, an architectural masterpiece that served as a model for pre-fabricated urban housing design.
62 participating nations and was visited by 54 million people.
Bottom right: Alexander Calder’s massive Trois Disques sculpture at Parc Jean-Drapeau, reflecting the theme "Man and His World." (image source) Expo ‘67 renovated and transformed the city’s underused public park– Parc Jean-Drapeau into the beloved park known today.
1970 osaka
expo '70
Theme: "Harmony and Progress for Mankind," 77 countries participated with an attendance of more than 64 million, evident that Japan had regained its place among the world’s leading nations. (source)
1982 knoxville
knoxville international energy exposition
“I went to the 1982 one in Knoxville as a kid. We drove all the way from South Florida for it. I remember seeing the 'home of tomorrow', and I remember how in the future we would be able to view each other on tv screens during phone calls. Back then it was hard to imagine.” @happycappybts
Built for the 1982 World's Fair, the Sunsphere serves as an iconic feature of the Knoxville skyline.
1984 new orleans
louisiana world exposition
Theme: “The World of Rivers”
This would be the last time the US has held a world expo, and the only exposition to declare bankruptcy.
Funding troubles of the world’s fair hosted in the US have been a recurring theme in history. Whereas governments often play a large role in the funding and organizing of world’s fairs almost everywhere in the world, the US is often privately managed by American corporations.
In fact, in 1992 Congress passed a bill restricting the Department of State from using funds for the development and operations of world fair pavilions.
US participation at world expos was in jeopardy. Lo and behold, the US was absent from Expo 2000 in Hanover, Germany. The country pulled out of participation at the last minute, leaving the area set aside for the American pavilion undeveloped.
It must’ve been sad and perplexing as an American in Hanover that year, questioning the absence of global power on the world’s stage.
Top: The fair along the banks of Mississippi river (image source)
Restrictions of federal funding of the world’s fair. In 2001, the US officially pulled out of the BIE.
1988 brisbane
expo ‘88
Elsewhere in the world, the world’s fairs continue to be held as the third largest international event after the Olympics and the World Cup. This time, the fair had 18 million visitors, exceeding the expected 7.8 million by twofold.
Top right: World Expo 88 was opened by Queen Elizabeth II | by Queensland State Archives
Bottom: The Nepalese Peace Pagoda, a beautiful pavilion hand-crafted by 160 craftsmen of the Kathmandu Valley over two years before being assembled in Brisbane – showing the long history of intricate woodcarving of buildings, still remains standing at the Expo site (source).
1992 seville
expo '92
1998 lisbon
expo '98
2000 hanover
expo 2000
The expo of the new millennium brought together 155 nations, greater than any previous expo with developing countries making up two-thirds of the participants.
At some point, nations started to compete for the most outstanding or memorable structure. This year, pavilions championed sustainable design and construction in line with the theme of “Humankind – Nature – Technology”. The Japan Pavilion, for example, aimed to create a structure that would produce little industrial waste when it was dismantled. While the ZERI pavilion utilized the more sustainable material of bamboo– which grows within three years as much as trees in 30 years.
Top: Japan Pavilion designed by Shigeru Ban was made primarily of paper tubes (source).
Bottom left: Switzerland’s Peter Zumthor-designed pavilion was made of stacked wooden beams (source).
Bottom right: ZERI pavilion (Zero Emission Research Initiative) designed by Símon Vélez used the sustainable material of Guadua bamboo (source).
In the 21st century, World Expos would happen once every five years (with Specialized Expos in the in-between years.)
2005 aichi
expo 2005
“Nature's Wisdom"
2010 shanghai
expo 2010 shanghai china
"Better City – Better Life" | 城市，让生活更美好
China historically has been a country that humbly takes learnings from the world. To China, it is an honor to host a world exposition and it is one of the most important events in the nation. We are honored to invite the world to our homeland and are proud to showcase what we have to our international friends.
“It will let Chinese people understand foreign countries much better and help them better understand us.” - Xu Wei, communication and promotion deputy director for the Expo
After winning the bid to host the Expo in 2002, Shanghai began infrastructural developments to reshape the city, clearing factories, building new subway lines, and building a new airport terminal.
In the years leading up to the expo as well as the 2008 Beijing Olympics, the entire nation rejoiced. “迎接2010年中国上海世博会 Welcome China Shanghai Expo 2010” echoed through every corner; children made art imagining this historic event; the energy was contagious.
It was an important event and the world knows it. Of 191 countries that attended, most invested record amounts to build pavilions for the 73 million record-high number of attendees. Germany spent $67 million on its pavilion which will let visitors sample traditional dishes like bratwurst sausage and Bavarian pork knuckle. The Saudi pavilion was the most expensive at $146 million, featuring desert date palms.
Additionally, for the first time, the famous Little Mermaid statue that is said to have inspired Anderson Copenhagen traveled across the world to become the centerpiece of the Danish Pavilion.Jackie Chan, Lang Lang, and Andrea Bocelli performed at the opening ceremony. Shanghai spent 11.964 billion yuan to host the event, elevating it to the most expensive World Expo in history, while still making an operating profit of more than 1 billion yuan (US$157 million).
Architectural wonders at the Shanghai Expo including the UK Pavilion known as the “Seed Cathedral” by Thomas Heatherwick, encased in 60,000 acrylic rods each embedded with its own plant seed– 60,000 seeds from around the world (Heatherwick).
The Danish Pavilion by BIG-Bjarke Ingels Group exemplified sustainable and urban-minded living as experienced in Copenhagen– designed around a spiraling bike path with 300 free bikes for visitors (Dezeen).
China Pavilion was designed with a contemporary structural and material interpretation of the ancient Chinese building structure, resembling the shape of ding vessels with roof made of dougong or brackets (source)
Secretary of State Hillary Clinton publicly states her support for the USA Pavilion project, "The U.S. presence at the Expo will showcase American business, culture, and values in China's most dynamic city and foster an even stronger friendship between the American and Chinese peoples." (USA Pavilion report)
2015 milan
expo 2015
“Feeding the Planet, Energy for Life”
2020 dubai
expo 2020
"Connecting Minds, Creating the Future"
To the UAE, similar to China, the World Expo was a big deal and the country prepared for the event years ahead.
The Expo was postponed for a year because of the pandemic (1 October 2021 to 31 March 2022). As the world was just recovering and reopening, Dubai hosted an impressive Expo with 24 million visitors and 192 participating countries.
80% of Expo 2020’s infrastructure is built to stay. The site lives on in the form of District 2020 – a smart city that will foster innovation and bring together global entrepreneurs and startups.
It will be a walkable 15min city with shaded open spaces and sikkas, integrated office and living spaces with retail, social, cultural, and learning facilities. Dubai, as such, will continue its legacy of being the melting pot of bringing people of different ethnicities together.Just like Democracity from 1939, we continue to paint our ideal city of the future.
Left: Al Wasl Plaza at the center of Expo 2020.
Right: The expo featured three subthemes each with its own thematic district: opportunity, mobility, and sustainability. Mission Possible – The Opportunity Pavilion, Alif – The Mobility Pavilion, and Terra – The Sustainability Pavilion.
District 2020 embodies the 15-minute city concept, combining living and workspaces.
2025 osaka
expo 2025
“Designing Future Society for Our Lives"
to be continued…
One may question, why travel to the expo when we can easily find everything on the Internet?
To me, there is something magical about being immersed in an environment and surrounded by ideas. It is similar to browsing books at a bookstore or the library. We can’t help but learn, explore, and stumble upon things we didn’t know to search for.
“No matter where you went, where you moved, there was something to learn; the illusion of knowing everything after having gone to the world’s fair.” - Alfred Heller, author & attendee of 18 world's fairs
At the Dubai Expo 2020, I loved it the most when I came across the cultures and traditions of countries I know very little about or even never heard of before. For example, I learned that in the small oasis town of Oualata in Mauritania lies some of the most ancient mosques; I discovered Angola’s use of the sona drawing as a tool to memorize songs, games, riddles, and proverbs; the Principality of Monaco is building a new eco-development known as Mareterra. The list goes on (and that’s for a separate post).
It felt like a mini world tour on steroids, “traveling” to different pavilions and meeting the “hosts” who came to the pavilion from their country.
The World Expos in the modern world do not only display that of the world powers; they enrich us with the culture and tradition of smaller nations, places that we wouldn’t know or have the chance to travel to. In a way, they still serve a similar purpose that the world’s fairs have always served.
The world’s fairs have gone a long way. They transformed from boasting technological innovations to the sharing of culture, and now into a platform for education and global discussion, bringing to awareness some of the pressing social and environmental issues we face today.
Top: Oualata (Arabic: ولاتة), an ancient trade town on the Western Sahara Desert, now a World Heritage Site
Bottom left: an example of a sona drawing, an ideographic tradition across eastern Angola, northwestern Zambia and adjacent areas of the Democratic Republic of the Congo
Bottom right: master plan of Mareterra, Monaco
Lastly, will the US bring back the World’s Fair? Barack Obama, Donald Trump, and Joe Biden—all support this effort.
According to the Department of State website, Minnesota bid to host a Specialized Expo 2027. If selected, this would be the first expo in the U.S. in nearly 40 years. The projected economic benefit includes the creation of more than 33,000 full and part-time jobs in the U.S., including 17,000 in Minnesota.
Renderings for the potential USA Expo 2027 in Bloomington, Minnesota
“The world expo is not an international conference in that it does not only appeal to the intelligence or knowledge of the people, but it also appeals to the emotions and to the hearts of the people.”
- Vincente Gonzales Loscertales, secretary general Bureau of International Expositions
It is said that the world’s fair “used to be an event that inspired all that witnessed it.”
I think it still is.
—
Thanks for reading.
Written by Coco, trying to be a kinder person and learning more about the world.
Reach me @cocobliu
Suggestions for further exploration
- Victoria & Albert Museum houses the concept drawing of the Crystal Palace
- “Beyond the Ice Cream Cone” by Pam Vaccaro is a book detailing food at the 1904 expo
- Since the BIE established standards for us, here is a full list of World Expos as recognized by the BIE for reference; the Wikipedia version here.
- I came across this blog post some time ago and this looks like a cute initiative. Yet, contrary to the author’s point, I very much believe that the World Expos of today still inspire.
- Osaka Expo 2025. A few years ago, I wrote an email to my future self: “Remember to go to Dubai in 2020.” Now, I’ve made it a goal to attend every world expo. If any readers here would like to join me in Osaka in 2025, let me know :)
A Personal Story
At the Shanghai Expo 2010, I stumbled across the Finnish Pavilion. I have a vague memory of seeing the colorful design and somehow, the idea that Finland is the world’s capital of design imprinted in my mind since. In 2018, I bought a one-way ticket to Helsinki and spent two months there to see for myself what good design means.
Without the expo, I probably would’ve still traveled. Yet it was the expo that extended my curiosity about the other sides of the world.
The Finnish Pavilion at the Shanghai Expo 2010: Helsinki as the world’s capital of design.
Left: me at Shanghai Expo 2010
Right: me at Dubai Expo 2020
Great Exhibition (Wikipedia)
World's Columbian Exposition (Wikipedia)
I can’t help but draw a parallel with The Chambre Syndicale de la Haute Couture which is defined as "the regulating commission that determines which fashion houses are eligible to be true haute couture houses".
The 1939 New York World's Fair (The Atlantic)
1939-40 World's Fair Democracity Re-Creation (New York Public Library)
The Rise and Fall of World’s Fairs (Smithsonian)
Revisit: Habitat 67, Montreal, Canada, by Moshe Safdie (Architectural Review)
§2452b. International expositions: “…the Department of State may not obligate or expend any funds appropriated to the Department of State for a United States pavilion or other major exhibit at any international exposition or world's fair registered by the Bureau of International Expositions in excess of amounts expressly authorized and appropriated for such purpose.”
What is District 2020? 5 things you need to know (Time Out Dubai)