The 1893 World's Columbian Exposition was held in Chicago, Illinois.
Also called the Chicago World's Fair, the exposition celebrated the 400th anniversary of Christopher Columbus's 1492 arrival in the Americas. It opened to the public on May 1, 1893, in Jackson Park and the Midway Plaisance and ran through October 30.
The fair helped demonstrate Chicago's recovery and ambition after the Great Chicago Fire of 1871. Its neoclassical buildings, designed under the direction of Daniel Burnham, created the famous nickname “White City.” Frederick Law Olmsted planned much of the landscape.
The exposition attracted more than 27 million visitors and introduced or popularized major innovations, including the world's first Ferris wheel. Nikola Tesla and George Westinghouse also showcased alternating-current electrical systems. Chicago won the right to host the exposition over New York City, St. Louis, and Washington, D.C.