Back To The Future

In 1933, during the darkest days of the Great Depression, the citizens of Chicago welcomed the world to a gigantic fair titled “A Century of Progress,” which commemorated the first 100 years of the Windy City’s existence. The event was a remarkable demonstration of the optimism of Chicagoans and Americans at the time, an attitude that was reflected in the general theme of the fair. Although organizers paid homage to the previous century, they were intent on attracting attendees with visions of the future.

One of the most popular expositions ever held, the Chicago World’s Fair was so well attended that it was extended through 1934. When it closed, nearly 49 million people had passed through its turnstiles–an amazing achievement considering that the population of the U.S. was only about 123 million at the time.

Originally conceived in 1923 and formally adopted by the City of Chicago in 1926, the commission that oversaw the creation of the event, and which brought it to fruition, wanted to create a fair that would emphasize the bright future of America and the unlimited possibilities it held as an industrial power. Despite the uncertainty of the immediate future of the U.S. economy, organizers of the exposition were able to raise more than $44 million from private sources, a significant departure from previous expositions that had been heavily subsidized by various states and the federal government.

Read the entire article in the February 2007 issue