World’s fairs, now called World Expos, are large global expositions that exhibit the achievements of nations. They originally focused on industry and technology before shifting to a focus on cultural exchange and nation branding in the mid-20th century. On this week’s episode of Silent Generation, the boys go into a deep dive of several notable world’s fairs including the 1851 Great Exhibition in London, the 1893 World’s Columbian Exposition in Chicago, the 1904 Louisiana Purchase Exposition in St. Louis, The 1933 Century of Progress Exposition in Chicago, and the 1964 World’s Fair in New York City. They conclude the episode by talking about how and why the world’s fair has declined as a cultural institution. Amongst other things they discuss how the Ferris wheel was first invented for Chicago’s 1893 world’s fair, how the 1904 St. Louis world’s fair put over 1,000 Filipino people on display, how the Van Wyck Expressway was extended to provide access to the 1964 NYC world’s fair, and how the newest world’s fair just opened in Osaka, Japan this week. 

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Recorded on 4/13/2025