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{{Short description|1933 world's fair in Chicago, Illinois, US}}
{{For|the Chicago World's Fair held in 1893|World's Columbian Exposition}}
{{Use American English|date=January 2025}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=August 2024}}

{{Infobox World's Fair
| box_width       =
| class           = Universal
| category        = 0
| image           = Chicago world's fair, a century of progress, expo poster, 1933, 2.jpg
| image_width     =
| caption         = A 1933 Century of Progress World's Fair poster.  It was later decided to continue the fair into 1934. This poster features the fair's Federal Building and Hall of States.
| year            = 1933–1934
| name            = A Century of Progress International Exposition
| motto           = Science Finds, Industry Applies, Man Conforms
| building        =
| area            = {{convert|172|ha|acre|abbr=off}}
| invent          =
| visitors        = 48,469,227
| organized       =
| cnt             =
| org             =
| biz             =
| country         = United States
| city            = [[Chicago]]
| venue           = Lakefront, Northerly Island
| coord           = {{coord|41|51|38|N|87|36|41|W|format=dms|type:landmark_region:US-IL|display=inline,title}}
| cand            = 1923
| award           =
| open            = {{start date|1933|05|27}}
| close           = {{start date|1934|10|31}}
| prevexpo        = [[Ibero-American Exposition of 1929]] in [[Sevilla]] and [[1929 Barcelona International Exposition]]
| prevcity        = [[Barcelona]]
| nextexpo        = [[Brussels International Exposition (1935)]]
| nextcity        = [[Brussels]]
| suppl           =
| prevsuppl       =
| prevsupcity     =
| nextsuppl       =
| nextsupcity     =
| simuni          =
| simspe          =
| simhor          =
| simoth          =
| website         =
}}
'''A Century of Progress International Exposition''', also known as the '''Chicago World's Fair''', was a [[world's fair]] held in the city of [[Chicago]], Illinois, United States, from 1933 to 1934. The fair, registered under the [[Bureau International des Expositions]] (BIE), celebrated the city's centennial. Designed largely in [[Art Deco]] style, the theme of the fair was [[technological innovation]], and its motto was "Science Finds, Industry Applies, Man Conforms", trumpeting the message that science and American life were wedded.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.encyclopedia.com/education/news-and-education-magazines/worlds-fairs-1933-1939|title=World's Fairs 1933–1939|date=March 6, 2019|website=Historic Events for Students: The Great Depression. encyclopedia|access-date=March 7, 2019|archive-date=March 7, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190307173746/https://www.encyclopedia.com/education/news-and-education-magazines/worlds-fairs-1933-1939|url-status=live}}</ref> 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.

One description of the fair noted that the world, "then still mired in the malaise of the [[Great Depression]], could glimpse a happier not-too-distant future, all driven by innovation in science and technology". Fair visitors saw the latest wonders in rail travel, automobiles, architecture and even cigarette-smoking robots.<ref>{{cite news |title=Century of Progress Homes Tour at Indiana Dunes takes visitors back to the future |url=http://www.chicagotribune.com/lifestyles/travel/fall-guide/2017/ct-fall-travel-century-of-progress-indiana-0806-20170804-story.html |first=Chris |last=LaMorte |date=October 2, 2017 |newspaper=[[Chicago Tribune]] |access-date=October 2, 2017 |archive-date=October 3, 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171003030619/http://www.chicagotribune.com/lifestyles/travel/fall-guide/2017/ct-fall-travel-century-of-progress-indiana-0806-20170804-story.html |url-status=live }}</ref> The exposition "emphasized technology and progress, a utopia, or perfect world, founded on democracy and manufacturing."<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.encyclopedia.com/education/news-and-education-magazines/worlds-fairs-1933-1939|title=World's Fairs 1933–1939|date=February 25, 2019|website=Historic Events for Students: The Great Depression. Encyclopedia|access-date=March 7, 2019|archive-date=March 7, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190307173746/https://www.encyclopedia.com/education/news-and-education-magazines/worlds-fairs-1933-1939|url-status=live}}</ref>

==Context==
[[File:1933 Century of Progress Opening Day Ticket.jpg|thumb|left|Ticket for the opening day ceremonies at Soldier Field]]

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, Chicago|Near South Side]] for the fairgrounds.<ref>Schrenk, Lisa D. (2007). ''Building a Century of Progress: The Architecture of the 1933–34 Chicago World's Fair''[[University of Minnesota Press]]. p. 4. {{ISBN|978-0816648368}}.</ref> Held on a {{convert|427|acre|km2}} portion of [[Burnham Park (Chicago)|Burnham Park]], the $37,500,000 (equal to ${{Inflation|US|37500000|1933|fmt=c}} today) exposition was formally opened on May 27, 1933, by U.S. Postmaster General [[James Farley]] at a four-hour ceremony at [[Soldier Field]].<ref>''Chicago Fair Opened by Farley; Rays of Arcturus Start Lights. Postmaster General Conveys President's Hope That Exposition Will Help Friendship Among Nations—First Day's Attendance Estimated at About 250,000''. ''The New York Times'', May 28, 1933, p. 1</ref><ref>{{cite book| title=Chicago and Suburbs 1939| publisher=[[Works Progress Administration]]| year=1939| pages=105}}</ref> 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.<ref>{{cite web| title=Century of Progress World's Fair, 1933–1934| publisher=University of Illinois-Chicago| date=January 2008| url=http://collections.carli.illinois.edu/cdm4/item_viewer.php?CISOROOT=/uic_cop&CISOPTR=45&CISOBOX=1&REC=1| access-date=September 6, 2009| archive-date=July 18, 2011| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110718172256/http://collections.carli.illinois.edu/cdm4/item_viewer.php?CISOROOT=%2Fuic_cop&CISOPTR=45&CISOBOX=1&REC=1| url-status=live}}</ref> The rays were focused on [[photoelectric cell]]s in a series of astronomical observatories and then transformed into electrical energy which was transmitted to Chicago.<ref name="II2005">{{cite book| first=Jordan D.| last=Marche II| title=Theaters of Time and Space: American Planetaria, 1930–1970| url=https://books.google.com/books?id=olT1ipj-EboC&pg=PP3| access-date=September 3, 2012| date=June 8, 2005| publisher=Rutgers University Press| isbn=978-0-8135-3576-0| page=80| archive-date=April 25, 2016| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160425043653/https://books.google.com/books?id=olT1ipj-EboC&pg=PP3| url-status=live}}</ref>

==Exhibits==
[[File:Tony Sarg - A Century of Progress International Exposition map.png|thumb|''A Century of Progress International Exposition'' – map drawn by [[Tony Sarg]]]]

The fair buildings were multi-colored, to create a "Rainbow City" as compared to the "White City" of Chicago's earlier [[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]]. [[Hal Pearl]] then known as "Chicago's Youngest Organist" and later "The King of the Organ" was the official organist of the fair. Mary Ann McArdle and her sister Isabel (from the UK) performed Irish Dancing.  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 may seem shocking to modern audiences, including offensive portrayals of [[African Americans]], a "Midget City" complete with "sixty [[Lilliput and Blefuscu|Lilliputians]]",<ref>{{cite book| last=Raabe| first=Meinhardt| author-link=Meinhardt Raabe| author2=Daniel Kinske| title=Memories of a Munchkin| publisher=Back Stage Books| year=2005| location=New York| isbn=0-8230-9193-7| url-access=registration| url=https://archive.org/details/memoriesofmunchk00raab}}</ref> and an exhibition of [[wikt:incubator|incubator]]s containing real babies.<ref>[http://www.omahapubliclibrary.org/transmiss/regions/northmid/baby.html ''Baby Incubators''], Omaha Public Library {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090826160814/http://www.omahapubliclibrary.org/transmiss/regions/northmid/baby.html |date=August 26, 2009 }}.</ref>

The fair included an exhibit on the history of Chicago. In the planning stages, several African American groups from the city's newly growing population campaigned for [[Jean Baptiste Point du Sable]] to be honored at the fair.<ref name="Reed">{{cite journal|last=Reed|first=Christopher R.|title='In the Shadow of Fort Dearborn': Honoring De Saible at the Chicago World's Fair of 1933–1934|journal=Journal of Black Studies|date=June 1991|volume=21|issue=4|pages=398–413|jstor=2784685|doi=10.1177/002193479102100402|s2cid=145599165}}</ref> At the time, few Chicagoans had even heard of Point du Sable, and the fair's organizers presented the 1803 construction of [[Fort Dearborn]] as the city's historical beginning. The campaign was successful, and a replica of Point du Sable's cabin was presented as part of the "background of the history of Chicago".<ref name="Reed"/> Also on display was the "Lincoln Group" of reconstructions of buildings associated with the biography of Abraham Lincoln, including his birth cabin, the [[Lincoln-Berry General Store]], the Chicago Wigwam (in reduced scale), and the Rutledge Tavern which served as a restaurant.

[[Richard E. Byrd#Early Antarctic expeditions|Admiral Byrd's polar expedition ship]] the ''[[City of New York (1885 ship)|City of New York]]'' was visited by President [[Franklin D. Roosevelt]] when he came to the fair on October 2, 1933. The ''City'' was on show for the full length of the exhibition.<ref>{{cite web |title=Itinerary for FDR's trip to the Chicago World's Fair |url=http://www.fdrlibrary.marist.edu/daybyday/resource/october-1933-2/ |website=fdrlibrary.marist.edu |access-date=June 3, 2018 |archive-date=June 5, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180605175012/http://www.fdrlibrary.marist.edu/daybyday/resource/october-1933-2/ |url-status=live }}</ref>

[[File:Century of Progress Graf Zeppelin Flight Cover.jpg|thumb|left|Cover carried on the ''[[LZ 127 Graf Zeppelin|Graf Zeppelin]]'' from 1933 ''Century of Progress Exposition'' franked with C-18 US Air Mail stamp issued for the airship's visit.]]
One of the highlights of the 1933 World's Fair was the arrival of the German airship [[LZ 127 Graf Zeppelin|''Graf Zeppelin'']] on October 26, 1933. After circling Lake Michigan near the exposition for two hours, Commander [[Hugo Eckener]] landed the 776-foot airship at the nearby [[Naval Air Station Glenview#Pre-military history|Curtiss-Wright Airport]] in [[Glenview, Cook County, Illinois|Glenview]]. It remained on the ground for twenty-five minutes (from 1 to 1:25&nbsp;pm)<ref>{{cite web |last=Senkus |first=William M. |title=Cinderella Stamps of the Century of Progress Expo in Chicago, Illinois |work=alphabetilately.org |year=2002 |url=http://alphabetilately.org/CoP.html |access-date=November 9, 2017 |archive-date=April 30, 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160430204251/http://alphabetilately.org/CoP.html |url-status=live }}</ref> then took off ahead of an approaching weather front, bound for [[Akron, Ohio]].

The "dream cars" which American automobile manufacturers exhibited at the fair included [[Rollston]] bodywork on a [[Duesenberg]] chassis, and was called the [[Twenty Grand (Duesenberg)|''Twenty Grand'']] ultra-luxury sedan; [[Cadillac (automobile)|Cadillac]]'s introduction of its [[Cadillac V-16|V-16 limousine]]; [[Nash Motors|Nash]]'s exhibit had a variation on the vertical (i.e., [[paternoster lift]]) parking garage—all the cars were new Nashes; [[Lincoln (automobile)|Lincoln]] presented its rear-engined "concept car" precursor to the [[Lincoln-Zephyr]], which went on the market in 1936 with a front engine; [[Pierce-Arrow]] presented its modernistic [[Pierce Silver Arrow]] for which it used the byline "Suddenly it's 1940!" But it was [[Packard]] which won the best of show with the reintroduction of the [[Packard Twelve#Second Generation|Packard Twelve]].

[[File:Pioneer Zephyr Dawn to Dusk Club.jpg|thumb|The passengers, including "Zeph" the burro, that rode the ''Zephyr'' on the "Dawn-to-Dusk Dash" gather for a group photo in front of the train after arriving in Chicago on May 26, 1934.]]
An enduring exhibit was the [[1933 Homes of Tomorrow Exhibition]] that demonstrated modern home convenience and creative practical new building materials and techniques with twelve model homes sponsored by several corporations affiliated with home decor and construction.

[[File:Electrical Building at night, repro. of painting by Wm. Mark Young (NBY 417869).jpg|thumb|''Electrical Building at night'', by [[William Mark Young]] ]]
Marine artist [[Hilda Goldblatt Gorenstein]] painted twelve murals for the Navy's exhibit in the Federal Building for the fair. The frieze was composed of twelve murals depicting the influence of sea power on America, beginning with the settlement of [[Jamestown, Virginia]], in 1607 when sea power first reached America and carrying through World War I.<ref>{{cite web| url=http://www.uic.edu/depts/lib/specialcoll/services/rjd/findingaids/HGorensteinf.html| publisher=University of Illinois at Chicago archive| title=U.S. Navy Exhibits Arrive for Fair; Models to Show Sea's Influence on Nation| newspaper=[[Chicago Daily News]]| first=Malcolm| last=McDowell| date=May 6, 1933| url-status=dead| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090627104736/http://www.uic.edu/depts/lib/specialcoll/services/rjd/findingaids/HGorensteinf.html| archive-date=June 27, 2009| df=mdy-all}}</ref> Another set of murals, painted for the Ohio State Exhibit by [[William Mark Young]], was relocated afterwards to the [[Ohio Statehouse]].<ref name="Geographicus">{{cite web |title=Young, William Mark (March 18, 1881 – January 1, 1946): Geographicus Rare Antique Maps |url=https://www.geographicus.com/P/ctgy&Category_Code=youngwilliammark |website=Geographicus |access-date=November 19, 2022}}</ref><ref name="Final">{{cite book |last1=Northwest Territory Celebration Commission |title=Final Report of the Northwest Territory Celebration Commission |date=1938 |pages=10–11, 47–50 |url=https://static1.squarespace.com/static/5f119e2b404a7c38b527f5a0/t/5f68ac370587154ff8a047f5/1600695367637/5.5x8_Start+Westward+Booklet_WEB2.pdf}}</ref> Young also painted scenes of the exhibition buildings.

The [[1933 Major League Baseball All-Star Game|first]] [[Major League Baseball All-Star Game]] was held at [[Comiskey Park]] (home of the [[Chicago White Sox]]) in conjunction with the fair.

[[File:Frank Buck Club Century of Progress pin.jpg|thumb|left|[[Frank Buck (animal collector)|Frank Buck]] souvenir badge]]
In May 1934, the [[Union Pacific Railroad]] exhibited its first streamlined train, the [[M-10000]], and the [[Chicago, Burlington and Quincy Railroad]] its famous ''[[Pioneer Zephyr|Zephyr]]'' which, on May 26, made a record-breaking dawn-to-dusk run from Denver, Colorado, to Chicago in 13 hours and 5 minutes, called the "Dawn-to-Dusk Dash". To cap its record-breaking speed run, the ''Zephyr'' arrived dramatically on-stage at the fair's "Wings of a Century" transportation pageant.<ref name="NYTimes">{{cite web| publisher=Chicago Museum of Science and Industry| work=excerpts from the New York Times| date=May 27, 1934| url=http://www.msichicago.org/exhibit/zephyr/history/nytimes/nytimes.html| title=Pioneer Zephyr – A Legendary History| access-date=February 24, 2005| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20050208015948/http://www.msichicago.org/exhibit/zephyr/history/nytimes/nytimes.html | archive-date=February 8, 2005| url-status=dead}}</ref> The two trains launched an era of industrial streamlining.<ref>{{Zimmermann-Burlington|pages=16, 26}}</ref> Both trains later went into successful revenue service, the Union Pacific's as the ''City of Salina'', and the Burlington ''Zephyr'' as the first ''Pioneer Zephyr''.<ref>{{cite book| last1=Schafer| first1=Mike| first2=Joe| last2=Welsh| year=1997| title=Classic American Streamliners| url=https://books.google.com/books?id=e-jEOg16QX8C&dq=Zephyr+%22dawn-to-dusk%22&pg=PA10| page=14| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211019205058/https://books.google.com/books?id=e-jEOg16QX8C&pg=PA10&lpg=PA10&dq=Zephyr+%22dawn-to-dusk%22&source=bl&ots=ApuPg6H4OO&sig=ACfU3U3Ef7VmstqhUxpzIXCJCXzi678r7A&hl=en&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwjlk7ysj4TgAhWF94MKHR9SD4k4FBDoATAIegQIARAB#v=onepage&q=Zephyr%20%22dawn-to-dusk%22&f=false| archive-date=October 19, 2021| publisher=MBI Publishing| location=Osceola, Wisconsin| isbn=0-7603-0377-0}}.</ref> The ''Zephyr'' is now on exhibit at [[Museum of Science and Industry (Chicago)|Chicago's Museum of Science and Industry]].<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.msichicago.org/explore/whats-here/exhibits/all-aboard-the-pioneer-zephyr/|title=All Aboard the Pioneer Zephyr|website=MSI Chicago|access-date=June 29, 2018|archive-date=November 19, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191119204348/https://www.msichicago.org/explore/whats-here/exhibits/all-aboard-the-pioneer-zephyr/|url-status=live}}</ref>

[[Frank Buck (animal collector)|Frank Buck]] furnished a wild animal exhibit, Frank Buck's Jungle Camp. Over two million people visited Buck's reproduction of the camp he and his native assistants lived in while collecting animals in Asia. After the fair closed, Buck moved the camp to a compound he had created at [[Amityville, New York]].<ref>[http://www.pmphoto.to/worlds_fair/wf_tour/zone-7/jungle_land.htm Frank Buck's Jungleland] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090716044002/http://www.pmphoto.to/worlds_fair/wf_tour/zone-7/jungle_land.htm |date=July 16, 2009 }}</ref>

{{Panorama|image=File:Panorama of A Century of Progress Exposition, Chicago, 1933.jpg|height=200px|caption=Panoramic view of the 1933 Century of Progress World's Fair}}

==Architecture==
[[File:1933-1934 At A Century Of Progress Chicago (NBY 417187).jpg|thumb|Ahlberg Bearing Company pavilion at Century of Progress]]

Planning for the design of the Exposition began over five years prior to Opening Day.<ref>For a detailed discussion of the architecture of the Century of Progress International Expositions, see Schrenk, Lisa D. (2007). ''Building a Century of Progress: The Architecture of the 1933–34 Chicago World's Fair''. University of Minnesota Press. {{ISBN|978-0816648368}}.</ref> According to an official resolution, decisions regarding the site layout and the architectural style of the exposition were relegated to an architectural commission, which was led by [[Paul Philippe Cret|Paul Cret]] and [[Raymond Hood]].<ref>Chicago World's Fair Centennial Celebration of 1933 Board of Trustees, Resolution, February 21, 1928, Available in the Century of Progress Archive, University of Illinois, Chicago.</ref> Local architects on the committee included [[Edward H. Bennett|Edward Bennett]], [[John Augur Holabird|John Holabird]], and Hubert Burnham. [[Frank Lloyd Wright]] was specifically left off the commission due to his inability to work well with others, but did go on to produce three conceptual schemes for the fair.<ref>Raymond Hood to Frank Lloyd Wright, Letter, February 16, 1931, Taliesin Archives, Avery Library, Columbia University.</ref><ref>For more on Frank Lloyd Wright and the Century of Progress see Lisa D. Schrenk (2007). Building a Century of Progress: The Architecture of the 1933–34 Chicago World's Fair. University of Minnesota Press. p. 188-199 {{ISBN|978-0816648368}}</ref> Members of this committee ended up designing most of the large, thematic exhibition pavilions.<ref>Schrenk, Lisa D. (2007). ''Building a Century of Progress: The Architecture of the 1933–34 Chicago World's Fair''. University of Minnesota Press. p. 70. {{ISBN|978-0816648368}}.</ref>

From the beginning, the commission members shared a belief that the buildings should not reinterpret past architectural forms – as had been done at earlier fairs, such as Chicago's 1893 World's Columbian Exposition—but should instead reflect new, modern ideas, as well as suggest future architectural developments.<ref>Schrenk, Lisa D. (2007). ''Building a Century of Progress: The Architecture of the 1933–34 Chicago World's Fair''. University of Minnesota Press. p. 47. {{ISBN|978-0816648368}}.</ref> Because the fairgrounds was on new man-made land that was owned by the state and not the city, the land was initially free from Chicago's strict building codes, which allowed the architects to explore new materials and building techniques.<ref>S. L. Tesone to C.W. Farrier and J. Stewart, Memo, October 16, 1933, p. 65, Century of Progress Archive, University of Illinois, Chicago.</ref> This allowed the design and construction of a wide array of experimental buildings, that eventually included large general exhibition halls, such as the Hall of Science (Paul Cret) and the Federal Building (Bennet, Burnham, and Holabird); corporate pavilions, including the General Motors Building (Albert Kahn) and the Sears Pavilion (Nimmons, Carr, and Wright); futuristic model houses, most popular was the twelve-sided House of Tomorrow (George Frederick Keck); as well as progressive foreign pavilions, including the Italian Pavilion (Mario de Renzi and Adalberto Libera); and historic and ethnic entertainment venues, such as the Belgian Village (Burnham Brothers with Alfons De Rijdt),<ref>Coomans, Thomas (2020). A Complex Identity Picturesquely Staged. The 'Belgian Village' at the Century of Progress Exhibition, Chicago 1933, ''Revue Belge d'Archéologie et d'Histoire de l'Art'', 89, p. 141-172. {{ISSN|0035-077X}}.</ref> and the Streets of Paris (Andrew Rebori and John W. Root) where fan dancer [[Sally Rand]] performed.<ref>Schrenk, Lisa D. (2007). ''Building a Century of Progress: The Architecture of the 1933–34 Chicago World's Fair''. University of Minnesota Press. p. 265. {{ISBN|978-0816648368}}.</ref> These buildings were constructed out of five-ply Douglas fir plywood, ribbed-metal siding, and prefabricated boards such as Masonite, Sheetrock, Maizewood, as well as other new man-made materials.<ref>Schrenk, Lisa D. (2007). ''Building a Century of Progress: The Architecture of the 1933–34 Chicago World's Fair''. University of Minnesota Press. p. 130-131. {{ISBN|978-0816648368}}.</ref> The exhibited buildings were windowless (but cheerfully lighted) buildings.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.encyclopedia.com/education/news-and-education-magazines/worlds-fairs-1933-1939|title=World Fairs 1933–1939|date=February 25, 2019|website=Historic Events for Students: The Great Depression, Encyclopedia|access-date=March 7, 2019|archive-date=March 7, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190307173746/https://www.encyclopedia.com/education/news-and-education-magazines/worlds-fairs-1933-1939|url-status=live}}</ref> Structural advances also filled the fairgrounds. These included the earliest catenary roof constructed in the United States, which roofed the dome of the Travel and Transport Building (Bennet, Burnham and Holabird) and the first thin shell concrete roof in the United States, on the small, multi-vaulted Brook Hill Farm Dairy built for the 1934 season of the fair.<ref>Schrenk, Lisa D. (2007). Building a Century of Progress: The Architecture of the 1933–34 Chicago World's Fair. University of Minnesota Press. p.40. {{ISBN|978-0816648368}}</ref>

==Later history==

===Amoebic dysentery outbreak===
From June to November 1933, there was an outbreak of [[amoebic dysentery]] associated with the fair. There were more than a thousand cases, resulting in 98 deaths.<ref>{{cite journal |author=Markell, E.K. |title=The 1933 Chicago outbreak of amebiasis |journal=Western Journal of Medicine |volume=144 |issue=6 |pages=750 |date=June 1986| pmid=3524005 |pmc=1306777 }}</ref><ref>{{cite web|title=Water and Waste Systems|url=http://www4.ncsu.edu/~rifki/arc414/Water%20and%20Waste/WaterWaste_09.htm|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170119121357/http://www4.ncsu.edu/~rifki/arc414/Water%20and%20Waste/WaterWaste_09.htm|archive-date=January 19, 2017|url-status=dead|access-date=January 19, 2017}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |date=August 16, 2022 |title=2022 National Backflow Prevention Day! |url=https://arbiterbackflow.com/blog/f/2022-national-backflow-prevention-day |access-date=October 1, 2023 |website=Arbiter Backflow}}</ref> Joel Connolly of the Chicago Bureau of Sanitary Engineering brought the outbreak to an end when he found that defective plumbing permitted sewage to contaminate drinking water in two hotels.

===Extension===
Originally, the fair was scheduled only to run until November 12, 1933, but it was so successful that it was opened again to run from May 26 to October 31, 1934.<ref name="encyclopedia">{{cite encyclopedia|title=Century of Progress Exposition|first=Robert W.|last=Rydell|url=http://encyclopedia.chicagohistory.org/pages/225.html|encyclopedia=Encyclopedia of Chicago|year=2005|access-date=May 10, 2011|archive-date=May 14, 2011|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110514034330/http://www.encyclopedia.chicagohistory.org/pages/225.html|url-status=live}}</ref> The fair was financed through the sale of memberships, which allowed purchases of a certain number of admissions once the park was open. More than $800,000 (equal to ${{Inflation|US|800000|1934|fmt=c}} today) was raised in this manner as the country was in the [[Great Depression]]. A $10&nbsp;million [[Municipal bond|bond]] was issued on October 28, 1929, the day before the [[Wall Street Crash of 1929|stock market crashed]]. By the time the fair closed in 1933, half of these notes had been retired, with the entire debt paid by the time the fair closed in 1934. For the first time in American history, an international fair had paid for itself. In its two years, it had attracted 48,769,227 visitors. According to [[James Truslow Adams]]'s ''Dictionary of American History'', during the 170 days beginning May 27, 1933, there were 22,565,859 paid admissions; during the 163 days beginning May 26, 1934, there were 16,486,377; a total of 39,052,236.<ref>{{Cite web |title=1933 Chicago |url=https://www.bie-paris.org/site/en/1933-chicago |access-date=February 12, 2024 |website=www.bie-paris.org}}</ref><!--need page, date, etc.-->

==Legacy==
{{multiple image|caption_align=center|header_align=center
 | align = right
 | direction = vertical
 | width = 220
 | header = Century of Progress<br />U.S. commemorative stamps (1933)
 | image1 = Chicago Century of Progress Fort Dearborn 1c 1933 issue U.S. stamp.jpg
 | caption1 = [[Fort Dearborn]]
 | image2 = Chicago Century of Progress Federal Building 3c 1933 issue U.S. stamp.jpg
 | caption2 = Federal Building
}}

[[File:Flag of Chicago, Illinois (1933–1939).svg|thumb|Flag of Chicago from 1933 to 1939, with the third star added to commemorate the Exposition]]
Much of the fair site is now home to [[Northerly Island]] park (since the closing of [[Meigs Field]]) and [[McCormick Place]]. The [[Balbo Monument]], given to Chicago by [[Benito Mussolini]] to honor General [[Italo Balbo]]'s 1933 trans-Atlantic flight, still stands near [[Soldier Field]]. The city added a third red star to its [[Flag of Chicago|flag]] in 1933 to commemorate the Century of Progress Exposition (the Fair is now represented by the fourth of four stars on the flag).<ref>{{cite web| title=Municipal Flag of Chicago| publisher=Chicago Public Library| year=2009| url=http://www.chipublib.org/cplbooksmovies/cplarchive/symbols/flag.php| access-date=March 4, 2009| archive-date=June 15, 2013| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130615003832/http://www.chipublib.org/cplbooksmovies/cplarchive/symbols/flag.php| url-status=live}}</ref> In conjunction with the fair, Chicago's Italian-American community raised funds and [[Statue of Christopher Columbus (Chicago)|donated a statue]] of [[Genoa|Genoese]] navigator and explorer [[Christopher Columbus]].<ref>{{cite web| title=Christopher Columbus| url=http://www.cpdit01.com/resources/planning-and-development.fountains-monuments-and-sculptures/Grant%20Park/Christopher%20Columbus.pdf| publisher=Chicago Park District| access-date=July 1, 2011| url-status=dead| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111006170834/http://www.cpdit01.com/resources/planning-and-development.fountains-monuments-and-sculptures/Grant%20Park/Christopher%20Columbus.pdf| archive-date=October 6, 2011| df=mdy-all}}</ref>  It was placed at the south end of Grant Park, near the site of the fair.

The [[Polish Museum of America]] possesses the painting of ''Pulaski at Savannah'' by [[Stanisław Kaczor-Batowski]], which was exhibited at the Century of Progress fair and where it won first place. After the close of the fair, the painting went on display at [[The Art Institute of Chicago]] where it was unveiled by [[Eleanor Roosevelt]] on July 10, 1934. The painting was on display at the Art Institute until its purchase by the Polish Women's Alliance on the museum's behalf.<ref>''The Polish Museum of America – History and Collections'' – Guide, p.31 Argraf, Warsaw, 2003</ref>

The U.S. Post Office Department issued a special fifty-cent Air Mail postage stamp, ([[Scott catalogue]] number C-18) to commemorate the visit of the German airship depicting <small>''(l to r)''</small> the fair's Federal Building, the ''Graf Zeppelin'' in flight, and its home hangar in [[Friedrichshafen]], Germany.  This stamp is informally known as the ''Baby Zep'' to distinguish it from the much more valuable [[1930 Graf Zeppelin stamps]] (C13–15).  Separate from this issue, for the Fair the Post Office also printed 1 and 3 cent [[commemorative postage stamp]]s, showing respectively [[Fort Dearborn]] and the modernistic Federal Building.  These were also printed in separate [[souvenir sheet]]s as blocks of 25 (catalog listings 728–31). In 1935 the sheets were reprinted (Scott 766–67).

From October 2010 through September 2011, the [[National Building Museum]] in [[Washington, D.C.]] opened an exhibition titled ''Designing Tomorrow: America's World's Fairs of the 1930s''.<ref>{{cite web| title=Designing Tomorrow: America's World's Fairs of the 1930s| date=February 7, 2017| url=https://www.nbm.org/exhibition/designing-tomorrow-americas-worlds-fairs-1930s/| publisher=National Building Museum| access-date=January 31, 2018| archive-date=February 1, 2018| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180201020130/https://www.nbm.org/exhibition/designing-tomorrow-americas-worlds-fairs-1930s/| url-status=live}}</ref> This exhibition prominently featured the Century of Progress fair in Chicago.

===In popular culture===
* [[Nelson Algren]]'s 1935 novel ''[[Somebody in Boots]]'' features the Chicago World's Fair of 1933–34, with the Century of Progress being described as "the brief city sprung out of the prairie and falling again into dust."<ref>{{cite news| last=Blades| first=John| title=Nelson Algren's 'Boots' Still Has A Powerful Kick| url=https://www.chicagotribune.com/1987/05/10/nelson-algrens-boots-still-has-a-powerful-kick/| work=Chicago Tribune| access-date=September 7, 2011| date=May 10, 1987| archive-date=August 8, 2012| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120808174040/http://articles.chicagotribune.com/1987-05-10/entertainment/8702040939_1_nelson-algren-boots-uneven| url-status=live}}</ref>
* In [[Tennessee Williams]]'s 1944 play, [[The Glass Menagerie]], set during the final years of the [[Great Depression]], Laura Wingfield's "gentleman caller", Jim O'Conner, recalls his recent trip to the Century of Progress and how the Hall of Science exhibit gave its attendees a vision of a better America that was just around the corner. 
* [[Jean Shepherd]] wrote about attending the Century of Progress as a boy in the 1966 book ''[[In God We Trust: All Others Pay Cash]]''<ref>{{Cite web|title=In God We Trust by Jean Shepherd: 9780385021746 {{!}} PenguinRandomHouse.com: Books|url=https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/165721/in-god-we-trust-by-jean-shepherd/|access-date=June 4, 2020|website=PenguinRandomhouse.com|language=en-US|archive-date=June 4, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200604092327/https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/165721/in-god-we-trust-by-jean-shepherd/|url-status=live}}</ref>
* Roy J. Snell, author of books for boys and girls, used Chicago, the building of the Fair site, the Fair itself -including the Sky Ride – and then certain portions of the Fair after it closed in several of his books.  Publisher, Reilly & Lee.  Books now in Public Domain.{{citation needed|date=February 2018}}
* ''[[Beverly Gray#Beverly Gray at the World's Fair|Beverly Gray at the World's Fair]]'', originally the sixth book in Clair Blank's ''Beverly Gray'' series, was published in 1935 and is set at the Century of Progress. The book was dropped when the series changed publishers due to fears that readers would find it dated, and has since become a sought after volume by collectors of the series.{{citation needed|date=February 2018}}
* In ''True Detective'', the 1983 private eye novel by [[Max Allan Collins]], and the first to feature his long-running character Nate Heller, Heller is hired as a security consultant by the Fair, and a good deal of the novel is set there.  The suspenseful action climax takes place at the Fair. The novel went on to win the [[Shamus Award|Shamus]] from the Private Eye Writers of America for Best Novel.<ref>{{Cite book|last=Randisi|first=Robert J.|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=g8G3BgAAQBAJ&pg=PT216|title=Fifty Shades of Grey Fedora: The Private Eye Writers of America Presents|date=February 10, 2015|publisher=Riverdale Avenue Books LLC|isbn=978-1-62601-153-3|language=en|access-date=July 21, 2020|archive-date=October 20, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211020073509/https://books.google.com/books?id=g8G3BgAAQBAJ&pg=PT216|url-status=live}}</ref>
* Brief footage of the fairground sideshows is used in the 1933 film ''[[Hoop-La]]'', the plot of which revolves around the fair. It was the last film made by [[Clara Bow]]. Also shown is a panorama of the Century of Progress concourse.{{citation needed|date=February 2018}}
* In her novel ''[[The Fountainhead]]'', [[Ayn Rand]] describes a world fair named ''The March of the Centuries''. Despite having taken place in 1936, ''The March of the Centuries'' bears a striking similarity to the Century of Progress exposition: it, too, is designed by a group of architects; architect Howard Roark was initially invited but later denied opportunity to participate in planning (as his prototype Frank Lloyd Wright was left off the commission), the fair opened in May. Rand described the fair as "a ghastly flop" and mentioned that its only attraction was "somebody named Juanita Fay who danced with a live peacock as sole garment" (a description clearly based on Sally Rand's performance).<ref>{{Cite book |last=Rand |first=Ayn |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=7_1XJgAACAAJ |title=The Fountainhead |date=1994 |publisher=HarperCollinsPublishers |isbn=978-0-586-01264-2 |language=en}}</ref>
* In [[Neal Stephenson]]'s 2024 novel [[Polostan]], the main character works as a shoe model and salesperson for a shop on the fairway that fits shoes using an [[X-ray]] machine. She sees the arrival of the [[Decennial Air Cruise]] and events in Soldier's Field.

===Resources===
The major archive for the Century of Progress International Exposition, including the official records from the event and the papers of Lenox Lohr, general manager of the fair, are housed in Special Collections at the [[University of Illinois at Chicago|University of Illinois, Chicago]]. A collection of materials including images is held by the [[Ryerson & Burnham|Ryerson & Burnham Libraries]] at the [[Art Institute of Chicago]].  The Century of Progress Collection includes photographs, guidebooks, brochures, maps, [[architectural drawing]]s, and souvenir items. Specific collections with material include the Chicago Architects Oral History Project; the Daniel H. Burnham Jr. and Hubert Burnham Papers; Edward H. Bennett Collection; Voorhees, Gmelin, and Walker photographs.

==Gallery==
<gallery>
File:Mural Feria Chicago 1933.jpg|Mural General Exhibit 3rd pavilion
File:1934 Chicago World's Fair Eagle.JPG|One of the eagles that stood on pedestals along Lakeshore Drive and Michigan Avenue in Downtown Chicago during the World's Fair.
File:CoP-poster.jpg|Poster for the fair by [[Glen C. Sheffer]].
File:1933-ChicagoCenturyOfProgressExposition-GroundPlan.jpg|Ground Plan for the Exhibit showing name and location of most exhibits.  From the files of Assistant Ticket Manager Joseph W Baker.
File:Yamashita 0065-crop-med.jpg|Japanese official pavilion buildings at the 1933 World's Fair, with gardens constructed by Chicago Japanese garden builder [[T. R. Otsuka|T.R. Otsuka]]
</gallery>

==See also==
* [[List of world expositions]]
* [[List of world's fairs]]
* [[Century of Negro Progress Exhibition]]

==References==
{{Reflist|30em}}

==External links==
{{Commons category}}
* [http://www.bie-paris.org/site/en/1933-chicago Official website of the BIE]
* {{usurped|1=[https://archive.today/20120730111624/http://www.cityclicker.net/chicfair/index.html 1933/1934 Chicago World's Fair website]}}
* [http://www.chicagopostcardmuseum.org/20th_century_wing_a_century_of_progress_LOBBY.html Chicago World's Fair: A Century of Progress International Exposition – 1933/34 in Postcards]
* [http://lcweb2.loc.gov/pnp/pan/6a28000/6a28300/6a28300r.jpg Panoramic photograph of Century of Progress (from Library of Congress website)]
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20110131101730/http://xroads.virginia.edu/~ma99/kidd/century/begin.html Website dedicated to the 1933–1934 Century of Progress]
** [https://web.archive.org/web/20011121074631/http://xroads.virginia.edu/~ma99/kidd/century/fairmap.html Interactive map of the Century of Progress Fair]
* [http://rick_oleson.tripod.com/index-53.html Photographs of ''Graf Zeppelin'' over Chicago]
* [http://www.brownie.camera/more/worlds_fair_1933.htm Century of progress Brownie camera] on [http://www.brownie.camera/ www.BROWNIE.camera]
* [http://century.lib.uchicago.edu 1933 Century of Progress Digital Collection from the University of Chicago]
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20081226095720/http://www.artic.edu/aic/libraries/research/specialcollections/subject/burnham.html Burnham, Beaux-Arts, Plan of Chicago, & Fairs]
* [http://www.chicagoartdecosociety.com Chicago Art Deco Society]
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20090627130434/http://www.myfloridahistory.org/index.php?q=gallery&g2_itemId=27689 Florida Pavilion – Chicago World's Fair 1933]
* [http://library.uic.edu/collections/special-collections-university-archives/finding-aids#cop A Century of Progress Records at the University of Illinois at Chicago]
* [http://collections.carli.illinois.edu/cdm4/index_uic_cop.php?CISOROOT=/uic_cop Century of Progress images from University of Illinois at Chicago digital collections]
* [https://www.pbs.org/opb/historydetectives/investigation/sideshow-babies/ History Detectives . Investigations – Sideshow Babies {{!}} PBS]
* [https://books.google.com/books?id=xd8DAAAAMBAJ&dq=%22Popular+Mechanics%22+Jan+1935+floating&pg=PA497 "The Miracle of Light at the World's Fair"] ''Popular Mechanics'', October 1934, pp.&nbsp;497–512
* [http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/photo/chi-century_01620080804083539,0,3244430.photo "Three Little Maids draw a crowd of 10,000 at Chicago's World's Fair"], ''Chicago Tribune'', October 1933

{{List of world's fairs in the United States}}
{{List of world exhibitions}}
{{Chicago}}
{{Authority control}}

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[[Category:Century of Progress| ]]
[[Category:1933 in Illinois]]
[[Category:1934 in Illinois]]
[[Category:1933 festivals]]
[[Category:1934 festivals]]
[[Category:1930s in Chicago]]
[[Category:South Side, Chicago]]