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A Century of Progress
Picture from Americam Memories site.
Picture of Chicago's World's Fair of 1933-1934: A Century of Progress
Click here to see the full Panorama
"A Century of Progress" was the name given to Chicago's World's Fair of 1933-34. It opened May 27, 1933, celebrating the technical advances in Chicago. It was also to prove that Chicago had truly risen from the Great Chicago Fire. Not only that, the final reason was that it was celebrating Chicago's 100th anniversary. It was popular enough to get 39,000,000 visitors in two years.
A Century of Progress was so good that it inspired New York for another World's Fair in 1939. The fair was held on the land and water areas between 12th and 39th streets. It covered an area of 427 acres (much of it landfill), proving how big a World's Fair could be.
Unlike the earlier Columbian Exposition of 1893, A Century of Progress was dashing with color. That was one of the reasons people called the fair "Rainbow City." The color helped draw people to the fair.
A Century of Progress was meant to be open for one year only. It closed on November 12, 1933. Later it reopened on May 26, 1934. The second and final time it closed was October 31, 1934. The reason the Century of Progress was opened a second time was because is was so popular.
There were many helpers to help "create" or make a Century of Progress. Strong fair animals like elephants and horses were used. People used new technical advances such as cars, trucks and cranes. These were the biggest helpers to make A Century of Progress stand out from earlier world's fairs. However, Chicago citizens weren't the only people who tried to help A Century of Progress get created. Many people wanted to help make a World's Fair better than ever by traveling to Chicago and helping. People also just sent important supplies, but it was still great help. Architects came in from everywhere to help create A Century of Progress. Artifacts came from toys to stores. It was very exciting. That was the reason people created the World's Fair of 1933-34.
Click here to see a website about the Century of Progress created by the Chicago Historical Society
