Earlier this month the President signed the “U.S. Wants to Compete for a World Expo Act” into law, setting the stage for Minnesota to make its case to host the Fair in 2023. If Minnesota is successful in securing the honor of hosting the World’s Fair it would be the first World’s Fair in the United States in almost 40 years. The last World’s Fair on US soil took place in New Orleans in 1984 and proved to be financially ruinous for the organizers. There was an attempt to bring the fair to Chicago in 1992 but the plan was cancelled before it ever came to fruition.
The financial woes that plagued the World’s Fair even lead Congress to pass a law banning any federal funds from being spend on World’s Fairs in 1999. Despite its less than glowing reputation in recent years, the World’s Fair has a rich history of being held in the US. Some of the most infamous world fairs of all time took place in US cities, such as the 1893 Chicago Worlds Fair: Columbia Exposition.
The exuberant history of the World’s Fair in the US can is on beautiful display in Smithsonian Collections Online: Worlds Fairs and Expositions: Visions of Tomorrow. The collection contains over 600,000 documents covering World’s Fairs from 1840-1940 and captures the spirit, technology, design, and innovations that influenced the modern world. The official programs and pamphlets for the World’s Fair contained in Smithsonian Collections Online have beautiful full color illustrations that bring vibrant history of the World’s Fair to life.
Below are several samples of the amazing primary sources available to researchers and students in Smithsonian Collections Online: Worlds Fairs and Expositions: Visions of Tomorrow.
World’s Fair Bulletin, The World’s Fair Beer
Guide to St. Louis and World’s Fair 1904
Routes to the World’s Fair 1939
Daily Official Program: World’s Fair Louisiana Purchase Exposition
I hope we do have another World’s Fair in 2023. It would be great.
I attended the 1964 World Fair in New York. I tell my childrens and grandchildrens and now my great grandchildrens. I would so love to attend one more before the Lord tske me away. I have fought 2 different kinds of cancer,rods in my back and on oxygen. U can count on me and my loving family to buy tickets. On ur part please advertise the coming of the World Fair. My whole nineth grade class went being my friends we heard nothing. Thank you and have a bless.year.
Patricia Shaughnessy
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I would so love to go to a world fair. I had graduated in 84 however shortly after moved in with my boyfriend and became pregnant so I didn’t make it to New Orleans. I would so love to take my grandchildren to one
I hope you and your grandchildren get to go one day!
-Tara
I attended the worlds fair in 1984 in New Orleans I went with a group of friends and had an fantastic time and learned so much.and had the time of my life I wish I could take my kids and my grandkids. I I think that would be a wonderful vacation for a family reunion as I have family is all over the United States, and have grown kids who have never meet some parts of or family .
The 1982 Worlds Fair was held here in Knoxville, TN. Mt wife tells me her mother attended several times and the Sun Sphere from that fair remains here today.