Century of Progress International Exposition
| EXPO Chicago 1933 | |
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A 1933 Century of Progress world's fair poster. This poster features the United States federal building and Hall of States.
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| Overview | |
| BIE-class | Universal exposition |
| Category | Historical Expo |
| Name | A Century of Progress Exposition |
| Motto | Science finds, Industry applies, Man adapts |
| Area | 172 hectares (430 acres) |
| Visitors | 48,469,227 |
| Location | |
| Country | United States |
| City | Chicago |
| Venue | Lakefront, Northerly Island |
| Coordinates | 41°51′38″N 87°36′41″W / 41.86056°N 87.61139°W |
| Timeline | |
| Bidding | 1923 |
| Opening | May 27, 1933 |
| Closure | October 31, 1934 |
| Universal expositions | |
| Previous |
Ibero-American Exposition of 1929 in Sevilla and 1929 Barcelona International Exposition in Barcelona |
| Next | Brussels International Exposition (1935) in Brussels |
Ibero-American Exposition of 1929 in Sevilla and
A Century of Progress International Exposition was a World's Fair registered under the Bureau International des Expositions (BIE), which held in Chicago, as The Chicago World's Fair, from 1933 to 1934 to celebrate the city's centennial. The theme of the fair was technological innovation. The fair's motto was "Science Finds, Industry Applies, Man Adapts"; its architectural symbol was the Sky Ride, a transporter bridge perpendicular to the shore on which one could ride from one side of the fair to the other.
A Century of Progress was organized as an Illinois nonprofit corporation in January 1928 for the purpose of planning and hosting a World's Fair in Chicago in 1934. City officials designated three and a half miles of newly reclaimed land along the shore of Lake Michigan between 12th and 39th streets on the Near South Side for the fairgrounds. Held on a 427 acres (1.73 km2) portion of Burnham Park the Century of Progress opened on May 27, 1933. The fair's opening night began with a nod to the heavens. Lights were automatically activated when the rays of the star Arcturus were detected. The star was chosen as its light had started its journey at about the time of the previous Chicago world's fair—the World's Columbian Exposition—in 1893. The rays were focused on photoelectric cells in a series of astronomical observatories and then transformed into electrical energy which was transmitted to Chicago.
The fair buildings were multi-colored, to create a "Rainbow City" as opposed to the "White City" of the World's Columbian Exposition. The buildings generally followed Moderne architecture in contrast to the neoclassical themes used at the 1893 fair. One famous feature of the fair were the performances of fan dancer Sally Rand. Other popular exhibits were the various auto manufacturers, the Midway (filled with nightclubs such as the Old Morocco, where future stars Judy Garland, The Cook Family Singers, and The Andrews Sisters performed), and a recreation of important scenes from Chicago's history. The fair also contained exhibits that would seem shocking to modern audiences, including offensive portrayals of African-Americans, a "Midget City" complete with "sixty Lilliputians", and an exhibition of containing real babies.
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