© 2026 KASU
Your Connection to Music, News, Arts and Views for Over 65 Years
Play Live Radio
Next Up:
0:00
0:00
0:00 0:00
Available On Air Stations

The technology that emerged from the 1893 Chicago World's Fair

The grounds of the 1893 World's Columbian Exposition in Chicago, Ill., are shown in May, 1893.  The first ferris wheel, which carries 1,400 persons 250 feet into the air, is one of the biggest attractions.  The exposition opened on May 1. (AP Photo)
AP Photo
The grounds of the 1893 World's Columbian Exposition in Chicago, Ill., are shown in May, 1893. The first ferris wheel, which carries 1,400 persons 250 feet into the air, is one of the biggest attractions. The exposition opened on May 1. (AP Photo)

The Ferris wheel is just one of the many inventions that debuted when the World’s Fair in Chicago opened on May 1, 1893.

Rice University history professor and CNN presidential historian Douglas Brinkley discusses that day in history with host Scott Tong. Brinkley is a contributor to the new National Geographic book “1,000 Days in America: An Illustrated History of the Moments That Defined a Nation.”

This article was originally published on WBUR.org.

Copyright 2026 WBUR

Here & Now Newsroom