The Ridiculously Ambitious History of the World's Fair, Part One: A Crazy Plan, and Crazy Success

Summary

Podcast Summary: Ridiculous History Episode: The Ridiculously Ambitious History of the World's Fair, Part One: A Crazy Plan, and Crazy Success Release Date: January 14, 2025

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Introduction

In the inaugural part of their two-part series on the World's Fair, hosts Ben Bolan and Noel Brown delve into the ambitious origins and remarkable successes of these grand exhibitions. Joined by Max Williams and their newest research associate, Ren, the trio explores the multifaceted impact of World's Fairs on technology, architecture, and society.

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Origins of the World's Fair

The episode begins with a discussion on the inception of the World's Fair, tracing its roots back to the Great Exhibition of 1851 in London. Ben Bolan provides a foundational overview:

“The World's Fair started in 1851. If you're not doing fun, improv rules, and you're looking at the facts, it's like the first adult science fair, the first big collective TED Talk.” [02:19]

Prince Albert, husband to Queen Victoria, is highlighted as the visionary behind the Great Exhibition. His goal was to showcase the advancements of the Industrial Revolution and foster national pride.

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Key Innovations and Contributions

World's Fairs have been pivotal in introducing groundbreaking inventions and architectural marvels. Noel Brown emphasizes this by listing notable contributions:

“These World’s Fair World Expos have generated some pretty notable accomplishments in science and engineering, architecture, things like the Eiffel Tower in 1889, the Golden Gate Bridge in 1939, the Space Needle speaking of Washington in 1969.” [04:38]

Further innovations discussed include:

• Telephone by Alexander Graham Bell (1876)
• AC Electric System by Nikola Tesla (1893)
• RCA Television Set (1939)
• Rubik’s Cube, zipper, and automatic dishwasher introduced at the 1893 Chicago Columbian Exposition.

Ben Bolan adds:

“These events resulted in the invention of countless machines and products, and then perhaps even more importantly, design methods civilization uses today.” [09:09]

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Architectural Wonders: The White City

A significant portion of the episode focuses on the 1893 Chicago Columbian Exposition, often referred to as the White City. Noel Brown and Ben Bolan discuss the architectural and engineering feats:

“Hosted in Chicago, Illinois from May 1st to October 30th of 1893. It was held on the 400th anniversary of Christopher Columbus's voyage.” [40:20]

Frederick Law Olmsted was commissioned to design the grand exhibition terrace, despite challenges posed by Chicago’s clay-rich soil, which absorbed water and complicated construction. Daniel Burnham’s innovative floating raft foundations and hybrid structural systems were crucial in realizing the ambitious plans.

The White City was characterized by its all-white plaster facades and elaborate canal systems, creating an awe-inspiring environment designed to impress and inspire visitors.

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The Battle of the Currents: Edison's DC vs. Tesla's AC

The episode delves into the infamous Battle of the Currents between Thomas Edison and Nikola Tesla, highlighting how the World's Fair served as a battleground for technological supremacy.

Ben Bolan remarks:

“Nikola Tesla won the day in this case because AC electricity proved that you could use his techniques and his discoveries to safely transmit power over long distances to a large number of end receivers.” [47:41]

This victory established Alternating Current (AC) as the global standard for electrical power distribution, a legacy that continues to this day.

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Social and Political Context

World's Fairs were not just showcases of technology and innovation; they were also platforms for nationalistic pride and geopolitical maneuvering. Noel Brown draws parallels with the modern Olympics, noting:

“There’s a host country, it’s a way of showcasing cultural pride, national pride in a very, very public and international viewed kind of platform.” [10:06]

Smaller nations leveraged these events to gain international recognition and promote their industrial and cultural achievements.

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Financial Success and Challenges

Despite the colossal scale, the Great Exhibition was a financial triumph, generating 186,000 British pounds (approximately $28 million today). However, Ben Bolan points out:

“England may have lost some points, even though it's their own home game, because this was an international thing. Other European countries had their flexes out on display.” [32:46]

The intense competition among nations to outdo each other spurred both innovation and economic investment, making World's Fairs both lucrative and challenging endeavors.

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Darker Sides of the World's Fair

While celebrating the successes, the hosts acknowledge the less savory aspects of World's Fairs. Ben Bolan touches upon historical prejudices and unethical exhibits:

“Things like the absolutely unclean exhibition of indigenous peoples as though they were somehow not human.” [16:41]

Additionally, the Chicago World's Fair was marred by the infamous serial killer H.H. Holmes, whose atrocities cast a dark shadow over the grandeur of the event.

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Conclusion and Teaser for Part Two

Wrapping up Part One, Ben Bolan and Noel Brown tease the upcoming episode, which will explore World's Fairs that didn't achieve their lofty ambitions and faced significant setbacks.

“This is part one of the World's Fairs. We're telling you the inspiring parts, but we wanted to mention the darker sides, the HH Holmes stuff, the colonialism, because we're foreshadowing part two where we get to some of the World's Fairs that did not have ideal outcomes.” [53:49]

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Notable Quotes

• Ben Bolan: “It’s funny because the world is objectively unfair.” [00:41]
• Noel Brown: “It feels like a jewel in terms of the way artificial intelligence and machine learning is starting to kind of balloon out of control.” [28:49]
• Ben Bolan: “The Great Mechanical Turk, which was itself ridiculous history.” [08:57]
• Ren: “When a person calls 988, they’re connected to a crisis counselor.” [23:40] (Note: This is part of an advertisement and would typically be excluded.)

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Closing Remarks

Part One of the series effectively sets the stage for understanding the grandeur and complexities of the World's Fair. By intertwining technological advancements, architectural marvels, and socio-political dynamics, Ben Bolan and Noel Brown provide listeners with a comprehensive and engaging exploration of these monumental events in human history.

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Note: Advertisements and non-content segments have been excluded to maintain the focus on the main discussion topics.

Transcript

[Ben Bolan]

Ridiculous History is a production of iHeartRadio. Welcome back to the show Ridiculous Historians. Thank you as always so much for tuning in. Let's give it up for the man, the myth, the super producer, Mr. Max Williams.

[Max Williams]

Maybe the World's Fair of super producers. We're going with it.

[Ben Bolan]

It's funny because the world is objectively unfair. So we're doing. Yeah, we're doing an episode about the World's Fair, a two part episode. Thanks to our newest research associate, the one and only Ren. Ren, we hope you're listening. We've got to get a good nickname, a MOC moniker for you in the ridiculous universe.

[Noel Brown]

I got a good one. How about Renaissance Fair? Ren. Renaissance. Ren Fair. Renfest. Renfest is good now. New year, new research assistant, associates extraordinaire. Man, she really knocked it out of the park. The fair grounds, the exposure. There you go.

[Ben Bolan]

No chumps in the squad, as we like to say. Those are the dulcet tones of Mr. Noel Brown. I am Ben Bolan in the.

[Ren]

It's still you.

[Ben Bolan]

Yeah, I've been going as Ben from. From earlier.

[Noel Brown]

I like that.

[Ben Bolan]

Thanks, man.

[Noel Brown]

It's good to have you back, bud.

[Ben Bolan]

So we were still here. Never left. As ll said, don't call it a comeback. This is weird. This is one of the first ideas Ren pitched to us and we absolutely loved it. Noel, have you ever been to a World Expo?

[Noel Brown]

No, I haven't, but there's a really great, very weird, kind of creepypasta internety film called We're All Going to the World's Fair by Jane Schoenberg, who also this year or last year, came out with the fantastic and very Lynchian film. I saw the TV glow has nothing to do with the World's Fair. But that's the only World's Fair I've been to is that film.

[Ben Bolan]

Well, the World's Fair is the friends we made along the way, as we would say here. But technically, if you're not doing fun, improv rules. And you're looking at the facts. The World's fair started in 1851. You may wonder where it went in the modern day. It's still around some version of it. It's called the World Expo. And when it first started and the way it builds itself in the modern day, it's a global showcase for. It's like the first adult science fair, the first big collective TED Talk.

[Noel Brown]

It's like a comic con for science and technology and the stuff of the future.

[Ben Bolan]

Yeah, yeah. It's very Epcot center, you know.

[Noel Brown]

Well, now if you want to cheat. I have been to a World's Fair because I've been to Epcot center. And we're going to get into what that means a little bit further along in the episode.

[Ben Bolan]

Yes, sir. Good foreshadowing.

[Max Williams]

And if I can jump in real quick, I was in Spokane two falls ago. And I don't know if Spokane, Washington is the smallest city to ever have a World's Fair. Well, it was a world, it was an expo at the time.

[Ben Bolan]

Two falls ago. No, we're staying with that one. Max. Two falls ago. Do you, are you one of those people? Do you like, measure time by just the passage of cultural season?

[Max Williams]

Well, here's the funny thing is there is actually two waterfalls in downtown Spokane that the World's Fair was built around. Now you get where I'm going. I didn't totally do the falls.

[Ben Bolan]

It go well.

[Max Williams]

But yeah, it's, it's really cool because they have a lot of stuff. I mean, Spokane is a very beautiful city. It's not a large city at all. But they have these two. They have this river with like multiple waterfalls going through downtown and all around it. They have all the stuff about the World Expo and it's like super cool to look at.

[Ben Bolan]

That's awesome. Super cool is the defining phrase of the World's Fair for sure.

[Noel Brown]

These World's fair world Expos have generated some pretty notable accomplishments in science and engineering, architecture, things like the eiffel Tower in 1889, the Golden Gate Bridge in 1939, the Space Needle speaking of Washington in 1969.

[Ben Bolan]

Yeah. The telephone as imagined by Alexander Graham Bell in 76, 1876. Nikola Tesla did some things and one of Those was the AC electric system in 1893 and of course the RCA television set in 1939. All of the things we just mentioned came from World's Fairs. But wait, as Billy Mays was wont to say, there's more.

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[Ryan Seacrest]

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[Noel Brown]

Billy May is good. He's a very world fair kind of cat. I wonder if any of his inventions were ever debuted at any world expos. I'm gonna say they were mainly relegated to late night infomercials.

[Ben Bolan]

I. You know, I will diplomatically. I will diplomatically say they're perhaps a different league now.

[Noel Brown]

That's true, Ben. But this is not to say that the World's Fair did not generate some stupid technology as well. And I don't mean like stupid cool. I just mean like stuff that did not land and did not have legs, as we say. But quite a few inventions that very much did and are household name today. Like the Rubik's Cube. That's not how my brain works. I will never be able to solve a Rubik's Cube. And that's okay. Ketchup.

[Ben Bolan]

Yeah, ketchup on fries. Because there were a lot of Dippin Dots level snack innovations that occurred at the World's Fair. We also know the history of the Rubik's Cube thanks to an earlier show we did called Stuff of Genius. But to your earlier point, about inventions that didn't quite catch on for one reason or another, the World's Fair is a great game of what ifery. You know, it's a great, hey, look at this. What could this do? And sometimes it does amazing things like a television or a telephone. And then sometimes you get Electro the cigarette smoking robot.

[Noel Brown]

I mean, Electro the robot would have been good enough, I guess. People really loved cigarettes at that point in history and they needed to have the robot smoking a cigarette sig in order to identify with it or something. I don't know.

[Ben Bolan]

It reminds me of the Great Mechanical Turk, which was itself ridiculous history. Sure, yeah. Anyway, what we're saying is there's a lot going on at the World's Fair. If you get a chance to visit a modern day World Expo, please, please do and tell us about it. These events, especially the first one, they resulted in the invention of countless machines and products, and then perhaps even more importantly, design methods civilization uses today. But there was a geopolitical aspect to this that cannot be ignored. This got you immediate attention as a country.

[Noel Brown]

Well, it's very much like the Olympics in that respect. There's a host country, it's a way of showcasing cultural pride, national pride in a very, very public and international viewed kind of platform, right?

[Ben Bolan]

100%. Yeah, you nailed it, Noel. Because the magnitude of this, of a World's Fair is up there with the Olympics. It's an international event. And just like the, just like how people pitched their country or their city for the Olympics today, nations across the world were competing to get the honor to host the World's Fair. And to be clear, the World's Fair is not like, it's not like a music festival. It's not like Burning Man. It doesn't last for just a long weekend like a Comic Con or Dragon Con here in Atlanta. It lasts for months at a time. And because it lasts for so long in comparison to other global events, it gets a lot of visitors, Right?

[Noel Brown]

And nations from around the world, just like the Olympics, have competed for the honor of hosting, hosting this event with the highest record attendance of around 73.5 million visitors for a single expo. And we're talking today, you know about the history of The World's Fair, but also just kind of about some really notable instances of World's Fairs. And I would say, though, Ben, that, you know, to my observation, World's Fairs don't quite hold the same prominence that they used to or the World Expo. Like, it feels like the Olympics still very much have that cachet in the world's eyes, you know, on it kind of vibe. But I don't really hear so much about the World Expos as much today.

[Ben Bolan]

Yeah, it's not as if ABC or CBS or CNN are providing 24. 7 live coverage of a World Expo, but at the height, going back to the number you mentioned there, at the height of attendance, 73.5 million visitors. If we take a moment to think that through, that means that if all those visitors formed a country, there would be more people there than the population of, let's see, Thailand, the population of the United Kingdom and the population of France, as well as, wow, many other. It's a ton of people is what we're saying even now.

[Noel Brown]

Absolutely. And speaking of countries, this was an opportunity for smaller countries to kind of make a name for themselves and get out there on the international stage in terms of showcasing their contributions to industry. Because there are certainly, even to this day, incredible technological innovations that come from what we might consider much smaller, less prominent countries.

[Ben Bolan]

Yeah, yeah. And we have two versions of the importance of the World's Fair. Two, I think, complementary descriptions. According to Associate professor at the University of Arizona Lisa Schrenk, international expositions have acted as mirrors of concurrent political, cultural and technological conditions of the times in which they were held by attracting governments, companies and other organizations from across the globe interested in promoting national identities. We'll see the problem with that later. Celebrating culture and showcasing scientific, technological, economic and social progress. Noel, maybe we go in comparison. We go to the summation by our friend Ren.

[Noel Brown]

Absolutely. Ren points out that the goal of any World's Fair, kind of like capitalism, is to have each one, each subsequent instance, be more successful, more wow. Factory. See more growth of audience and innovation and technology than the last, which is pretty difficult to sustain forever. But it's a noble goal.

[Ben Bolan]

Yeah, very capitalist. Also, I'm writing down. I'm writing down wow Factory. I think that's a great band name.

[Noel Brown]

I didn't even do that on purpose, but you're right.

[Ben Bolan]

Wow Factory.

[Noel Brown]

That's kind of funny. Accidental portmanteau. I don't know what you call that, but thanks, Ben, I appreciate that.

[Ben Bolan]

And let's talk about the cadence of occurrences. There are five years between expositions. Right now, before the year 2000, there was a smaller space between each distinct World's Fair or World's Expo. So countries often found themselves scrambling on every front. First off, how do we decide what visitors will like? How do we get 73.5 million people to visit our neck of the global woods? And then also, just as importantly, how on earth are we gonna build and afford the infrastructure for all these people? The hotels, the roads, the transport.

[Noel Brown]

Yeah, and not to mention the just sort of bizarre structures that are often built around the sites of these things. Like, a lot of times, I think, when people picture a World's Fair, they picture sort of like that Epcot center kind of orb, you know, looming in the background, or other sort of futuristic structures. So there's a whole lot of. Yeah, but there's a lot of installation. And these are, like, in and of themselves, these kind of technological art installations that are meant to demonstrate this level of, like, future thinking.

[Ben Bolan]

Well said. Yeah. And so we're telling you this. It may seem like a ridiculously ambitious enterprise, which it definitely is. But get this, fellow ridiculous historians, Sometimes these countries pulled it off. In the first part of this series, we're going to talk about a couple World's Fairs that were able to be what we would call successful. And in a later episode, we'll talk about some that, diplomatically put, were not quite there.

[Noel Brown]

Kind of the bed.

[Ben Bolan]

Little bit. You know, like Burns said, man's reach must exceed his grasp, else what's a heaven for?

[Noel Brown]

Well, and also something to mention in terms of, you know, pooping the historical bed. As with many old timey events and displays of nationalistic pride, we run into it all the time. We are certainly going to see some, I don't know, colonizing, kind of racist, very backwards attitudes on full display at some of these early World's Fairs. Some examples that we've actually covered in full episodes in the past on ridiculous history.

[Ben Bolan]

Yes, a hundred percent. Things like the disastrous Olympics that were held at a World's Fair once upon a time. And things like the. Oh, the absolutely unclean exhibition of indigenous peoples as though they were somehow not human.

[Noel Brown]

Yeah, like some sort of macabre petting zoo. It was very, very, very weird stuff. And we did a whole episode on that in the early days. So we will touch on that again. Cause I think it's important just to sort of contextualize some of this stuff, but we're not gonna get too into the weeds on that stuff. So I guess, first things first, right?

[Ben Bolan]

Yes. First Things first, by which we mean the Great Exhibition. London, 1851.

[Noel Brown]

This is London town.

[Ben Bolan]

Yes. This is held in the super humbly named Crystal Palace. It looks like a Kaiju level greenhouse. It's a glass and iron structure. It's in the center of Hyde park, and it is open from May to October of 1851. Over 1/3 of the population of England shows up at some point.

[Noel Brown]

Unbelievable. It boasted some of the most important innovations of the Victorian era, including electric telegraphs, things like microscopes, a very early version of the fax machine, AKA the facsimile machine, a way of transmitting text, you know, over telephone lines. A revolving lighthouse light, which I guess I just would have thought that that had been around for ages, but I mean, this is a long time ago, but I would have thought it was older than this.

[Ben Bolan]

No ships just wrecked if they came the wrong way.

[Noel Brown]

Oh, dud. Yeah, exactly. There's. What is he. What's the. What's the line from lighthouse? There's something in the light. There's magic in the light. Anyway, check out that film.

[Ben Bolan]

I will always remember that strangely charged conversation about beans.

[Noel Brown]

Oh, yeah? Yeah. Why'd you spill your beans? Anyway, check out the lighthouse. Robert Eggers, if you're checking out Nosferatu in theaters now, we're not sponsored, but definitely go back and check out that offering from Mr. Robert Eggers as well.

[Ben Bolan]

Did you see Nosferatu?

[Noel Brown]

I did, Ben. I did. What did you think of Nosferatu?

[Ben Bolan]

I liked it. My girlfriend described it as cinematically horny.

[Noel Brown]

Oh, for sure.

[Ben Bolan]

As a fan of folklore without spoiling it, Eggers did his research.

[Noel Brown]

He always does. And I feel like what Eggers is so good at is sort of like making very tense and dramatically engaging displays of this folklore where you really feel like you're living in it and it's not just some sort of dated, dusty story. Like, it feels very inhabited and like these are real people. But they very much still have the umami of that folklore that he uses as source material.

[Ben Bolan]

Back in the days when you and I used to party, Noel, before we got old, I remember we would hang out for a solid. I think it was a month and a half. We were just evangelizing for the witch, how great it was.

[Noel Brown]

Saw it in the theaters three times. Sorry, we just got sidetracked by that revolving lighthouse light. Another innovation from this World's Fair was an early version of a submarine. Let's just reiterate, this is 1851. A lot of this stuff to me, either feels like the lighthouse light like, maybe I would have thought it was invented earlier than this, but some of this stuff feels very kind of forward thinking. Like the idea of an early submarine before the 1900s. I think of that as a much more modern innovation.

[Ben Bolan]

Yeah. Again, this is like an adult science fair. That's one of the easiest ways to compare it to modernity. We have to shout out, of course, Eggers. But also our good friend Professor Rachel Big Spinach Lance, who hipped us to the early days of submarines and underwater explosions. Check out that episode as well.

[Noel Brown]

In the Hunley episode, wasn't it?

[Ben Bolan]

Yeah, yeah.

[Noel Brown]

About it very early. Again, I think I probably had a similar reaction on that episode where we were talking about wooden submarines and like Civil War era submarines. And I'm like, I did not know that was a thing. So do check out that episode. And I think we're gonna have Big Spinach back for another episode this very soon.

[Ben Bolan]

Yeah, it'd be great. Her dance card is pretty full, but let's see if we could get her. Also. Yeah. Civil War submarines. I can't remember the wood to metal ratio, but I can recall the inventor of the World's Fair. Or you could say maybe the ideator of it. It's a guy named Prince Albert. He famously married his cousin, Queen Victoria.

[Noel Brown]

And is this the same Prince Albert that also famously had an interesting piercing?

[Ben Bolan]

That may be a different episode. I'm not sure who named it that. I'd love to hear the etymology. As an etymology nerd.

[Noel Brown]

No, I think it is. Yeah. There's a piercing called a Prince Albert. Yeah.

[Ben Bolan]

But was it from him?

[Noel Brown]

I think so, dude.

[Ben Bolan]

Like, he popped his Australia and then said, let's have a science fair.

[Noel Brown]

I think. I mean, the timeline is unclear, but.

[Max Williams]

I. I feel like it is him too. Like, I think it is.

[Noel Brown]

I think he literally had this piercing and so they named it after him.

[Ben Bolan]

Amazing. Amazing.

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[Ren]

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[Noel Brown]

Crisis is completely self defined. If you're wondering if you should call, you should probably call.

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[Ben Bolan]

This is the guy who, I guess he's a great innovator. In addition to piercings, he is the one who pitched this concept, this great exhibition, bringing technological innovation to the public, democratizing science in a very real way. And this happens as the Industrial Revolution is still reverberating through the world. And you know, the Industrial Revolution started in England. So he's great casting for this.

[Max Williams]

Also to jump in here real quick. This is from Google's AI. There is no evidence that Prince Albert, Queen Victoria's husband, had a penile piercing. The name Prince Albert for the piercing comes from the belief that he did. So it is named after him.

[Noel Brown]

Who's that sneaking in the phone? It's Max and he's full of knowledge. Just for you right now. Here he comes. It's Max with the facts.

[Max Williams]

There's also a drawn animation of the piercing that is real childlike. And then you look at it for a second like, oh, that's what that is.

[Noel Brown]

What am I looking at here?

[Max Williams]

Yeah, so I think that we're a.

[Noel Brown]

Family show, so we don't need to, we don't need to go into detail about what this piercing is.

[Ben Bolan]

Sage. Australia is close to Australia.

[Noel Brown]

You get it. But I also saw, sorry, not to get too sidetracked with Prince Albert's chunk, but. But I also saw that there was a type of ring that was meant to secure the male genitals to the pant leg that he was also known for being fond of. Whether or not that actually penetrated his old fella is up for debate.

[Ben Bolan]

This may be fan fiction from the Prince Albert stands at some point, but you know, whether it's a Richard Gere hamster story, again, we're a family show, or whether it's historical fact, we do know we can confirm that Prince Albert led to or led the charge for London's Great Exhibition and did so because of the context of the Industrial Revolution. We know that the public was, as a group, adjusting to this new way of life. Sudden changes, a lot of ups, a lot of downs. Agriculture is leaving a lot of farmers homeless.

[Noel Brown]

Frankly, you know, it's interesting, we could almost say that we are Currently living in something similar to the industrial revolution in terms of the way artificial intelligence and machine learning is starting to kind of balloon out of control and have the potential to literally remove certain human people, jobs that have existed for a very long time. So it's a very similar kind of struggle. And it doesn't seem like the powers that be in our era are particularly interested in making people feel better about it. So in this era, it did feel like they were trying to educate the public as to how this was a good thing and how it wasn't necessarily going to mark the end of human work.

[Ben Bolan]

Yeah. And unlike AI writing programs, mechanized agriculture does work. And it did work at this point. Right. It was very much a John Henry situation for a lot of traditional rural farmers in England. And they knew they had to go to factories. A job that didn't really exist before this was quite intimidating. If we go to Professor Emeritus Robert Ruddell over at Montana State University, we see exactly what you're describing, Noel. This professor agrees with us, agrees with your point, saying there's nothing certain about the direction industrialization is going. So what's the future going to look like? And that's the question these folks are trying to answer for the public at London's Great Exhibition.

[Noel Brown]

Right. There's literally a new career path that has been more or less invented overnight. These factory jobs that people who have spent their lives and generations perhaps, and families working on family farms, they need to be educated about what these jobs look like, what they mean for their lives, and how they fit into this new industrialized society. So, you know, it is a bit of a PR move as well, because they don't want to alienate the workers entirely because they need them, you know. And by that I mean the powers that be in the government represented by somebody like Prince Albert and at this.

[Ben Bolan]

Great exposition, companies are able to show the public machines that would have otherwise remained secreted behind factory walls. It's kind of like if Lockheed opened Skunk Works and you could just show up to Skunk Works and see all the spy planes that won't be public for a few decades.

[Noel Brown]

Yeah, there was a real wow factor.

[Ben Bolan]

Yes. Yes.

[Noel Brown]

And they're going for, like, awing the public into getting on board with industrialization and be like, wow, look at the possibilities. I would love to work in a factory that seems totally chill.

[Ben Bolan]

Yeah, that's a big part of it. The other part is they build just. I love this science project comparison because these companies are building little tiny kawaii replicas of their machines. And Showing the public, hey, here's how this works. Guess what? We have a life size one. And they're.

[Noel Brown]

You can be a part of the magic.

[Ben Bolan]

Right. And their concurrent goal is not just to reassure people about their own personal future, but also to reassure people that the stuff made by these machines, these new processes, will be trustworthy, will be dependable and will work.

[Noel Brown]

I didn't even think about that. There was a lot of distrust just in, like, the quality of these wares and what it would mean for, like, you know, people's everyday life, lives with goods and products that they were used to.

[Ben Bolan]

Yeah. And at the time, the exhibition itself was profitable. It generated 186,000 British pounds, which means it's time for the inflation calculator and a boop.

[Noel Brown]

A boop, boop.

[Ben Bolan]

All right, that would be £21,943,450. 51 pesos in today's money, or I think we should do the US equivalent.

[Noel Brown]

Annaboo.

[Ben Bolan]

$28,040,438.23.

[Noel Brown]

So about the grosses of a modern, like, minor blockbuster, you know, not even really a blockbuster. That 30 million, depending on the budget, would be considered a moderate success for like, you know, a mid tier budget type film.

[Ben Bolan]

So financially. Yes, agreed. Financially. Good for. Good for the United Kingdom, good for England. However, England may have lost some points, even though it's their own home game, because this was an international thing. We got other European. Well, it's international in that other European countries had their flexes out on display.

[Noel Brown]

Yeah. England isn't exactly known for their, like, design flair. And that was sort of really hit home at this World's Fair because the French really excelled in terms of style, you know, and form of some of these new creations, these new industrial products. Also, we know the Germans have continue to have a reputation for their very precise engineering and machining skills. The Americans during this World's Fair really excelled in terms of what we're pretty good at still today. Large scale manufacturing, quantity over quality. But still, you gotta love the quantity.

[Ben Bolan]

Yeah, yeah. If we take it to a design nerd kind of comparison. So imagine the French make a revolutionary, beautiful cursive R. Right. And the Germans make a incredibly precise, perfectly measured capital. Yes, Serif, capital R and block letters. And then the Americans go, here you go, we got a thousand Rs. We made a thousand letter Rs.

[Noel Brown]

Yeah, 100%. Or like one massive R that dwarfs all the other R's. But Prince Albert wasn't having this. He was determined For England to rise to the occasion, especially since it's on their home turf. So he threw some money from his estate into a scholarship to support young innovators. Essentially a way to help them advance careers in science and research.

[Ben Bolan]

Yeah, what we would call the STEM disciplines today. Science, technology, engineering, math. You can still get a research fellowship from the Royal Commission for the Exhibition of 1851. However, visiting the Crystal palace as it stood in 1851 is very difficult today. There was a conspiracy afoot. There was a fire of unknown origin that demolished the structure in 1936. It was a big fire. Within the space of 30 minutes, the entire structure, which was like 25 acres of iron and glass, ignited and it burned down through the.

[Noel Brown]

I'm sorry, how do you burn down something made of iron and glass?

[Ben Bolan]

Well, I guess you need fire to make glass and iron.

[Noel Brown]

That's true. What is it like jet fuel doesn't melt steel beams and all that stuff?

[Ben Bolan]

It would have been started.

[Noel Brown]

Hell of a fire though, right? Goodness gracious.

[Ben Bolan]

Yeah, that's where it started.

[Noel Brown]

Is there a conspiracy afoot? That's what's going on here?

[Ben Bolan]

Well, no one. Historians still don't agree on how the fire began, so we could call it a conspiracy, but really it's more a mystery, I guess.

[Noel Brown]

To me though, I'm just interested in the conspiracy of like how, what. What could have fueled such a fire, you know, in. You know what I mean? Like, it's not. Is there. I guess there's wood inside, but it seems like they were really focusing on the. The building materials as being glass and steel. So I just. What, what actually caught fire to create the kind of blaze that would consume glass and steel. I'm sorry, maybe I'm not being helpful here.

[Ben Bolan]

No, no. There were two huge.

[Noel Brown]

Boggles the mind.

[Ben Bolan]

There were two huge elm trees that also caught a blaze. That would have helped. And there was a ton of stuff inside. We have to remember 25 acres worth of the best things humans could come up with at the time.

[Noel Brown]

Well, while you can't, unfortunately, due to the aforementioned fire, visit the Crystal palace in England anymore, it was demolished in 1936. You can hang with Winnie the Pooh and Pals at the Crystal Palace Buffet in Walt Disney World there in Florida, where you can get Mickey Mouse shaped churro waffles. I know a lot of Disney folks that are so stoked about all of the food offerings at Disney. And it is good. There's some good stuff. Country fried chicken with gravy and something called a sunrise margarita. It just sounds delightful.

[Ben Bolan]

Yes, all classic Victorian era British fare. Thank you, Ren. So let's fast forward to the World's Columbia Exposition which is held in Chicago.

[Noel Brown]

Okay, I'm confused. Not Columbia, no South Carolina or South America.

[Unknown]

Hey, it's Ryan Seacrest for Albertsons and Safeway. This New year, make sure you take some time to take care of yourself and your family. Stock up on your favorite personal care Items now through January 28th and earn four times the points to use towards discounts on groceries or features. Fuel. Shop in store online or in the app for items like Pantene Shampoo, Old Spice Body Wash, Pampers, Swaddlers, Diapers, Venus Razors and Crest Complete toothpaste and earn four times points on your purchase offer ends January 28th. Visit albertsons or safeway.com for more details.

[Ren]

When a person calls 988, they're connected to a crisis counselor.

[Noel Brown]

Crisis is completely self defined. If you're wondering if you should call, you should probably call.

[Ren]

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[Noel Brown]

Hosted in Chicago, Illinois from May 1st to October 30th of 1893. It was held on the 400th anniversary of Christopher Columbus's voyage. Technically the 401st, depending, you know, there's some slight discrepancies I think, in historical accounts of his journey to the Americas. Of course, that's where the Colombian part comes in.

[Ben Bolan]

Yeah. And we're jumping around in time because we want to tell you about this one, as it was for the most part considered a win in the world of World's Fairs and Expos. It happened after the Paris or Parisian World's Fair, which occurred in 1889. This is the one where our cursive R comparison really comes into play. Because the World's Fair in Paris in 1889 was praised for, for the innovations in architecture and design, specifically a thing called the Eiffel Tower. At that point, it was the tallest acknowledged man made structure. I'm being a little careful with our caveats there for sure.

[Noel Brown]

And this took place at the previous World's Fair I think you mentioned. So Chicago and their planning committee really felt the pressure to outdo France, at least in terms of architectural accomplishment. So they tapped a soup well regarded architect named Frederick Law Olmsted, he actually designed Central park in New York City. They tapped him to create plans for an even more elaborate and grand exhibition terrace. And again, when we were talking at the top of the show about all of these on site wonders and marvels, I mean, correct me if I'm wrong, Ben, but the World's Fair where the Eiffel Tower was unveiled, that would have taken place directly around where the Eiffel Tower is today. Like it was the real thing that was on display at the World's Fair.

[Ben Bolan]

Created for the World's Fair, I believe that's correct. Now to the earlier point about always attempting to have the newest, the biggest, the best, most interesting World's Fair. We see the city pride of Chicago and the national pride of the US Coming into play, just as you noted. And we're gonna make time for a little bit of a dark side about the so called White City. This guy Olmstead, he's just awesome at what he does. And so it's no surprise that the planning Committee there in Chicago is deferring to him. And they say, well, Freddie, where should we do our World's Fair? We can't let these French folks show us up. So Olmsted says, all right, here's what we're going to do. We're going to go to Lake Michigan and we're going to do that because this will give a water source for all these canals and pools that we have to build. And they said, what canals? Pools? And he said, yeah, that's part of it. I'll take questions at the end. I'm doing canals and pools. He was like, when Rick explains a weird heist to Morty. And Rick and Morty, they ran into this other problem. Chicago soil, for any fellow nerds is mostly clay, which means it absorbs water way more easily than other types of soil. Which means it was a nightmare to build this thing around Lake Michigan.

[Noel Brown]

Right. Because while Lake Michigan was super aesthetically pleasing and a great site for this on paper, with all of the water able to be supplied to water plants and fill these canals, it was a nightmare for building construction because the water kept getting absorbed.

[Ben Bolan]

Yeah, exactly. So it's kind of like how people actually building Frank Lloyd Wright houses would complain about the sustainability, the aesthetics. And I love that you're mentioning that the aesthetics are always easier to ideate than the actual engineering.

[Noel Brown]

Right. Well, that's why I think the best architectures have a appreciation of both. It is like a perfect kind of crystallization of form and function. Architecture at its best.

[Ben Bolan]

Architecture at its best is frozen poetry.

[Noel Brown]

100% agree. And I haven't seen it yet, Ben, but just another quick movie thought. There is a film that is just now getting wide release early this year in 2025 called the Brutalists, which is a three hour epic. It's apparently like there will be blood level American story of industry and perseverance and maybe a little bit of the ills of capitalism thrown in there. But I'm really excited to see this film. I think it's going to kind of home the kinds of stuff that we're talking about that we appreciate in architecture.

[Ben Bolan]

And our Chicago committee, they have their idea man, right? They have their ultimate thought bringer. And now they have to say, now they have to figure out how they bridge the gap of idea to reality. So they talk to a local architect of the time, Daniel Burnham, and they say, all right, can you design some plans for the buildings we'll have at the fair? We're asking you because you. You've already done some interesting work. Burnham had reached some breakthroughs with the idea of floating raft foundations that would help address the poor soil conditions in Chicago. He made these crazy smart hybrid structural systems that leveraged the latest of material technology that was available in the late 1800s. And with Burnham helping to make this Olmsted guy's vision a reality, it still took a small army to build the midway. 12,000 men, over 12,000 men build this collection of buildings. They've got a long pool at the center. This is what becomes called the White City. And it's called that because they saved money on the paint. It was just all white plaster on.

[Noel Brown]

The paint, all white plaster facades, kind of crown molding kind of vibes. So with the construction of the White City well underway, there's still something they haven't fully dealt with, which is how to light this thing up. So that leads us headlong into what is known as the battle of the currents between Thomas Edison, the aforementioned, and Nikola Tesla, both inventors who had figured out how to harness and distribute electricity. But each had their own very specific and proprietary methods for doing this, which required kind of like a large scale buy in because it requires building infrastructure with that kind of wiring in mind. We've got Tesla's AC alternating current and Edison's DC direct current.

[Ben Bolan]

Yeah, Edison. And look, Edison was a bully. There's no way around it. He launched a huge campaign, a smear campaign really, against Tesla's AC concept. However, Tesla won the day in this case because AC electricity proved that you could use his techniques and his discoveries to safely transmit power over long distances to a large number of end receivers, a large amount of population. So that's why AC is still the industry standard for power grids today.

[Noel Brown]

Exactly. So as for the Eiffel Tower, back to the Eiffel Tower there was a young architect by the name of George Washington Gale Ferris Jr. Who also had a bit of an answer as to the illumination problem. Right. And you know, we talked about the name of the huge area where all of the exhibitions took place as the midway. We're using kind of fair terminology. I mean, that is, it's a concept that I think everyone understood. Another thing that people might think of when it comes to a county fair or a state fair are things like, you know, frying every type of food you can imagine, but also certain types of fair rides, like the Ferris wheel.

[Ben Bolan]

Stuff of genius returns again. Yeah, this is all true. And one of the most beautiful things about the World's fairs or world expos in general, is they always, always bring These notable innovations. It's a great drawing board, right? A great cavalcade of what iFery. The 1893 World's Fair there in Chicago introduced the public to things like Wrigley's chewing gum, instant pancake mix, the automatic dishwasher. The zipper. I got one of those on me right now.

[Noel Brown]

It hasn't gotten really. Hasn't been improved and they still kind of break. I actually was putting on a zip up hoodie this morning only to realize that the zipper was completely shot. And so that thing is dead to me. But isn't that funny? Things like the zipper have not exactly been improved upon since their invention. Since their introduction.

[Ben Bolan]

Yeah, because they work. And we love it when stuff works. There's also a dark side to the White City because one of the most notorious con men and serial killers in American history. History was active in Chicago during the Columbian Exposition in 1893. Herman Webster Mudgett, known as Dr. Henry Howard Holmes or H.H. holmes. One time or twice in a couple lazy Halloweens, I dressed up as the guy. And I'll tell you, Noel, one person recognized the costume and that person wanted to hang out with me and they made me uncomfortable.

[Noel Brown]

That's right, I do recall this. Ben, you can read all about this in the Devil in the White City. Murder, Magic and Madness, which tells this sordid tale of the dark side of the Chicago World's Fair.

[Ben Bolan]

And we should note there was an adaptation, a film adaptation of the Devil in the White city starring Leo DiCaprio, directed by Scorsese. The book itself.

[Noel Brown]

Really?

[Ben Bolan]

Yeah, yeah, really True story.

[Noel Brown]

This is out or they're working on it?

[Ben Bolan]

I believe it came out in 2015.

[Noel Brown]

Why have I not heard of this?

[Ben Bolan]

Oh, no, wait, wait. It was going to come out and then they tried to make it a television adaptation. It's not out. You're correct, it's not.

[Noel Brown]

And just really quickly too, on the COVID of the book of the novel by Erik Larson. It has a really great photo of the midway, I guess, of this Chicago World's Fair. And you know what it looks like, Ben? Looks like the National Mall in Washington, D.C. with that reflecting pool and that central kind of thing. And then the giant looming structure at the end. It is pretty impressive.

[Ben Bolan]

Yeah. And the Devil in the White City is technically historical nonfiction. Don't let that put you off, folks. That is an official ridiculous history book recommendation. What a banger. Mr. Larson, if you're listening. Also big fans of in the Garden, Garden of Beasts and Isaac Storm. Haven't read every book this guy's written but loved everyone I read.

[Noel Brown]

And Ben, those are great recommendations because my goal this year is to read at least one book.

[Ben Bolan]

Ooh, I've got one for you that you might like.

[Unknown]

Cool.

[Noel Brown]

I'll add it to my list. I've got two and now three on it thus far.

[Ben Bolan]

Oh, okay. So I recently.

[Noel Brown]

I'm joking. I'm gonna try to read more than one book, but I just have been really bad at reading lately, so I.

[Ben Bolan]

And listening to an audiobook calculator is reading. I hold that, however, it is best for people to digest information. One book recommendation that I know you will dig. It's so poetic. There's this MIT professor of physics and creative writing named Alan Lightman, and he wrote a book called Einstein's Dreams. I recently reread it, and I thought of you and our pal Matt Frederick. It's just beautiful. All it is. There's not even a spoiler here, and I know we're on a tangent, but all it is, Noel, is a series of dreams that a young Albert Einstein has while he's working as a patent clerk. He's fallen asleep at work, and in each of his dreams, he finds a new theory of time.

[Noel Brown]

It's just incredible poetry, man. That does sound like poetry. I just put it down on my list of which I also have. I'll give you these. A book called Orbit that I heard discussed on a podcast recently. Apparently, it's just a really poetic and kind of dreamy depiction of being in space. And then a novel called Lazarus man by Richard Price, which follows several characters in Harlem in the wake of a building collapse. And it's apparently quite tense and very well written. And the guy's written a ton of other stuff that have been adapted into films, to my understanding.

[Ben Bolan]

Awesome. And speaking of fantastic writing, thanks again to our research associate renown. This is part one of the World's Fairs. We're telling you the inspiring parts, but we wanted to mention the darker sides, the HH Holmes stuff, the colonialism, because we're foreshadowing part two where we get to some of the World's Fairs that did not have ideal outcomes. Let's call it that 100%.

[Noel Brown]

And I very much look forward to getting into those with you, sir. Huge thanks for my. As well to our brand new research associate extraordinaire, Ren Renfest Jones. You know, we're gonna woodshop that nickname, but I'm just gonna throw it out there for now. I think you did a really fantastic job on these episodes.

[Ben Bolan]

Big, Big thanks, of course, to our super producer, the one and only Mr. Max Williams. Big thanks to Alex Tioanna Williams, who composed this slap and bop you're hearing at the end of the show.

[Noel Brown]

Indeed. Huge thanks to Jonathan Strickland, the Quizzter, AJ Bahamas Jacobs, the Puzzler, Eaves Jeff Goats and Christopher Haciotes here in spirit. And of course, Ben. Big thanks to you buddy. This is a lot of fun. It's really good to be back in the new year with some ridiculous history.

[Ben Bolan]

Yes. Big Big thanks to Rachel. Big Spinach Lance or Big Spinach. Thanks to you Professor. Thanks to our rude dudes at Ridiculous Crime. Check them out. Big Big thanks to everyone for tuning in. Join us for part two. Noel Big thanks to you bud.

[Noel Brown]

Oh man, you're welcome. We'll see you next time folks. For more podcasts from iHeartRadio, visit the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts or wherever you listen to your favorite shows.

[Unknown]

Hey, it's Ryan Seacrest for Albertsons and Safeway. This new year. Make sure you take some time to take care of yourself and your Stock up on your favorite personal care Items now through January 28th and earn four times the points to use towards discounts on groceries or fuel. Shop in store online or in the app for items like Pantene Shampoo, Old Spice Body Wash, Pampers, Swaddlers, Diapers, Venus Razors and Crest Complete toothpaste and earn four times points on your purchase offer ends January 28th. Visit albertsons or safeway.com for more details.

[Ren]

Now on BET Wednesdays at 109 Central BET Original Series Diora from Detroit from executive producer Kenya Barris and BET Studios comes what Variety calls a PI Drama with flair. Meet Dara Brickland, a public school teacher turned amateur private eye after the disappearance of a very hot date. With the help of her friends and even her ex husband, D? Ara's on a mission to find her missing lover. D? Ara from Detroit is now on Bet Wednesdays at 109 Central with the best.

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[Ren]

We're the hosts of Mind the Business Small Business Success Success Stories produced by Ruby Studio and Intuit QuickBooks. Catch up on seasons one and two and join us for a brand new season of the podcast as we talk to small business owners about how they manage and grow their businesses with the help of platforms like Intuit QuickBooks.

[Noel Brown]

Listen to mind the Business Small Business Success Stories on the iHeartRadio app, Apple.

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Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.

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