To what extent did the World’s Fair of 1893 impact the United States of

Background As of today, the city of Chicago is the third largest city in the United States, right behind New York and Los Angles. It is home to more 3 million people, but this was not always the case. When the city was created in 1833, it only "coveted less than half a square mile on either side of the main channel of the Chicago River and contained only 350 adventurous inhabitants, mostly male." (Abu-Lughod 49). As the years went on the city continued to grow and by 1870 its "economic base had evolved considerably" (51). However, the following year Chicago suffered a disaster that ultimately destroyed the city. This event is known as the Great Chicago Fire. The fire is said to have begun in a small farm owned by Catherine and Patrick O'Leary and lasted for 36 hours. The fire destroyed more than 18,000 buildings, leaving around 99,000 of the city’s residents homeless, and killed more than 300 people. Despite the destruction of almost the entire city, Chicago was able to rebuild and rees tablish itself as a place that offered opportunities, and a future. Although Chicago continued to grow rapidly, the US entered an economic depression in 1893. Luckily for the country, this was the very year that Chicago had been selected to host the 1893 World’s Fair, also known as the World’s Columbian Exposition. This fair gave not only the city of Chicago, but also the US, an opportunity to show the world what this nation was capable of creating and building. Introduction The World’s Fair of 1893 was set to commemorate the 400th year anniversary of Columbus’ voyage to America. When the top leaders in the US heard about the opportunity of hosting the fair, they quickly showed their interest. The main cities that showed interest were New York,... ...he building would not be designed the way they are now in the city. The fair allowed Chicago to be the great city it is today and have the magnificent downtown envied by many other cities. Work Cited Abu-Lughod, Janet L. New York, Chicago, Los Angeles: America's Global Cities. Minneapolis: University of Minnesota, 1999. Print. Crandall, Abbey, and Daniel Green. "Chicago Inventions." Chicago World's Fair. N.p., n.d. Web. 28 May 2013. Maranzani, Barbara. "7 Things You May Not Know About the 1893 Chicago World’s Fair." History.com. A&E Television Networks, 01 May 2013. Web. 27 May 2013. Rose, Julie K. "World's Columbian Exposition: Reactions to the Fair." World's Columbian Exposition: Reactions to the Fair. N.p., n.d. Web. 29 May 2013. Rydell, Robert W. "World's Columbian Exposition." World's Columbian Exposition. Encyclopedia of Chicago, n.d. Web. 29 Nov. 2013.