Editing World's fair (section)

==History==
{{Further|List of world's fairs}}

In 1791, [[Prague]] organized the first World's Fair in [[Bohemia]] (modern-day [[Czech Republic]]).<ref>{{cite book |last1=Kárníková |first1=Ludmila |title=Vývoj obyvatelstva v českých zemích 1754–1914 |date=1965 |publisher=Nakladatelství Československé akademie věd |location=Praha |pages=401, [2] s |edition=1 |url=https://biblio.hiu.cas.cz/records/ad18aaac-4b7b-495e-afed-ef9c64eb55c8?locale=en |access-date=2 June 2021}}</ref><ref>{{cite journal |last1=Klíma |first1=Arnošt |title=The Role of Rural Domestic Industry in Bohemia in the Eighteenth Century |journal=The Economic History Review |date=1 February 1974 |volume=27 |issue=1|pages=48–56 |doi=10.2307/2594203 |jstor=2594203 |url=https://www.jstor.org/stable/2594203 |access-date=2 June 2021}}</ref><ref>{{cite journal |last1=Rudolph |first1=Richard F. |title=The Pattern of Austrian Industrial Growth from the Eighteenth to the Early Twentieth Century |url=https://www.cambridge.org/core/journals/austrian-history-yearbook/article/abs/pattern-of-austrian-industrial-growth-from-the-eighteenth-to-the-early-twentieth-century/1B069CDBD7F79CA71D861CEF91971424 |journal=Austrian History Yearbook |year=1975 |volume=11 |pages=3–25 |publisher=Cambridge University Press |doi=10.1017/S0067237800015216 |s2cid=145393467 |access-date=2 June 2021}}</ref> The first industrial exhibition was on the occasion of the coronation of [[Leopold II, Holy Roman Emperor|Leopold II]] as king of [[Bohemia]]. The exhibition was held in the [[Clementinum]], and celebrated the considerable sophistication of manufacturing methods in the [[Czech lands]] during that time period.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.arts.gla.ac.uk/Slavonic/Czech_Hist8.html|title=The era of enlightenment|access-date=11 March 2011|url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120316114245/http://www.arts.gla.ac.uk/Slavonic/Czech_Hist8.html|archive-date=16 March 2012}}</ref> France had a [[Exposition des produits de l'industrie française|tradition of national exhibitions]], which culminated with the [[French Industrial Exposition of 1844]] held in [[Paris]]. This fair was followed by other national exhibitions in Europe. 

[[File:Crystal Palace interior.jpg|thumb|Interior of [[the Crystal Palace]] at the [[Great Exhibition]] in [[Hyde Park, London]], in 1851]]
In 1851, the "Great Exhibition of the Works of Industry of All Nations" was held in [[the Crystal Palace]] in [[Hyde Park, London]], United Kingdom. The [[Great Exhibition]], as it is often called, was an idea of Prince [[Albert, Prince Consort|Albert]], Queen [[Queen Victoria|Victoria]]'s husband, and is usually considered to be the first international exhibition of manufactured products.<ref name="Gazette"/> Exhibits showcased at the exhibition include the first public [[flush toilet]]s invented by [[George Jennings]].<ref>{{cite news |title=The History of Women’s Public Toilets in Britain |url=https://www.historic-uk.com/CultureUK/History-of-Womens-Public-Toilets-in-Britain/ |access-date=8 April 2025 |work=Historic UK}}</ref> The Great Exhibition influenced the development of several aspects of society, including art-and-design education, international trade and relations, and tourism.<ref>John R. Davies in Findling and Pelle (2008), "Encyclopedia of World's Fairs and Expositions", pp. 13–14</ref> This expo was the precedent for the many international exhibitions, later called ''World Expos'', that have continued to be held to the present time.<ref name="Gazette">{{cite news |title=The Great Exhibition of 1851 |url=https://www.thegazette.co.uk/all-notices/content/100717 |access-date=5 August 2024 |work=[[The London Gazette|The Gazette]]}}</ref>

The character of world fairs, or expositions, has evolved since the first one in 1851. Three eras can be distinguished: the era of industrialization, the era of cultural exchange, and the era of nation branding.<ref>{{cite journal |date=April 2004|title= Three eras of World Expositions: 1851–present. |journal= Cosmopolite: Stardust World Expo & National Branding Newsletter |issue= 5|page= 1<!--2-->|location= Amsterdam|publisher= Stardust New Ventures|editor1-first= Tjaco |editor1-last= Walvis}}</ref>

===Industrialization (1851–1938)===
[[File:Chicago's Great Telescope (3573567148).jpg|thumb|The Yerkes Great refractor telescope mounted at the 1893 World's Fair in Chicago]]

The first era, the era of "industrialization", roughly covered the years from 1850 to 1938. In these years, world expositions were largely focused on trade and displayed technological advances and inventions. World expositions were platforms for state-of-the-art science and technology from around the world. The world expositions of [[Great Exhibition|1851 London]], [[Exhibition of the Industry of All Nations|1853 New York]], [[1862 International Exhibition|1862 London]], [[Centennial Exposition|1876 Philadelphia]], [[Exposition Universelle (1878)|Paris 1878]], [[1888 Barcelona Universal Exposition|1888 Barcelona]], [[Exposition Universelle (1889)|1889 Paris]], [[General Land Centennial Exhibition (1891)|1891 Prague]], [[World's Columbian Exposition|1893 Chicago]], [[Brussels International Exposition (1897)|1897 Brussels]], [[Exposition Universelle (1900)|1900 Paris]], [[Louisiana Purchase Exposition|1904 St. Louis]], [[Panama–Pacific International Exposition|1915 San Francisco]], and [[Century of Progress|1933–1934 Chicago]] were notable in this respect.<ref>{{Cite web|title=World's Fair {{!}} History, Instances, & Facts|url=https://www.britannica.com/topic/worlds-fair|website=Encyclopædia Britannica|language=en|access-date=29 May 2020}}</ref> Inventions such as the [[telephone]] were first presented during this era. This era set the basic character of the world fair.<ref>{{Cite journal|last1=Abbattista|first1=Guido|last2=Iannuzzi|first2=Giulia|date=2016|title=World Expositions as Time Machines: Two Views of the Visual Construction of Time between Anthropology and Futurama|url=http://worldhistoryconnected.press.uillinois.edu/13.3/forum_01_abbattista.html|journal=World History Connected|volume=13|issue=3}}</ref>

===Cultural exchange (1939–1987)===
[[File:Ice Follies at 1962 Worlds Fair 02.jpg|thumb|200px|left|[[Ice Follies]] at the [[Century 21 Exposition|Seattle 1962 World's Fair]]]]
{{Further|Technological utopianism}}

The [[1939 New York World's Fair|1939–1940 New York World's Fair]], and those that followed, took a different approach, one less focused on technology and aimed more at cultural themes and social progress. For instance, the theme of the 1939 fair was "Building the World of Tomorrow"; at the [[1964 New York World's Fair|1964–1965 New York World's Fair]], it was "Peace Through Understanding"; at the [[Expo 67|1967 International and Universal Exposition]] in Montreal, it was "Man and His World". These fairs encouraged effective [[intercultural communication]] along with sharing of technological innovation.

The 1967 International and Universal Exposition in Montreal was promoted under the name ''Expo 67''. Event organizers retired the term ''world's fair'' in favor of ''Expo'' (the [[Montreal Expos]], a former [[Major League Baseball]] team, was named for the 1967 fair).<ref>{{cite video|people=Ted Dykstra (Director)|date=2004|title=Expo'67: Back to the future|medium=DVD|publisher=CBC Home Video|location=Canada}}</ref>

===Nation branding (1988–present)===
[[File:Expo Sevilla3.jpg|thumb|1992 Expo in Seville, Spain]]

From [[World Expo 88]] in [[Brisbane]] onwards, countries started to use expositions as a platform to improve their national image through their pavilions. Finland, Japan, Canada, France, and Spain are cases in point. A major study by Tjaco Walvis called "Expo 2000 Hanover in Numbers" showed that improving [[Nation branding|national image]] was the main goal for 73% of the countries participating in [[Expo 2000]].{{Citation needed|date=January 2012}} Pavilions became a kind of advertising campaign, and the Expo served as a vehicle for "nation branding". According to branding expert [[Wally Olins]], Spain used [[Seville Expo '92|Expo '92]] and the [[1992 Summer Olympics]] in [[Barcelona]] in the same year to underscore its new position as a modern and democratic country and to show itself as a prominent member of the [[European Union]] and the global community.{{Citation needed|date=January 2014}}

At [[Expo 2000]] Hanover, countries created their own architectural pavilions, investing, on average, €12&nbsp;million each.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.bayareaeconomy.org/media/files/pdf/Expo_Report_sml.pdf |title=World Expo 2020 Silicon Valley – USA Economic Impacts |date=February 2011 |website=Bay Area Council Economic Institute |access-date=6 July 2013 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120813060823/http://www.bayareaeconomy.org/media/files/pdf/Expo_Report_sml.pdf |archive-date=13 August 2012 }}</ref> Given these costs, governments are sometimes hesitant to participate, because the benefits may not justify the costs. However, while the effects are difficult to measure, an independent study for the Dutch pavilion at Expo 2000 estimated that the pavilion (which cost around €35&nbsp;million) generated around €350&nbsp;million of potential revenues for the Dutch economy. It also identified several key success factors for world-exposition pavilions in general.<ref>Tjaco Walvis (2003), "Building Brand Locations", ''Corporate Reputation Review'', Vol. 5, No. 4, pp. 358–366</ref>