exposition or exhibition, term frequently applied to an organized public fair or display of industrial and artistic productions, designed usually to promote trade and to reflect cultural progress. Expositions have also been important for their emphasis on scientific and technological innovations. Expositions grew out of the traditional medieval cloth fairs (see fair). Organized exhibitions of fine and industrial arts date back to 18th-century France and England. The international exposition as we know it today began with the exhibition at the Crystal Palace in London in 1851; its huge success inspired a series of international expositions throughout the world. Among the most famous expositions and world's fairs are the following: the Paris international expositions of 1867, 1889 (the Eiffel Tower was built for this occasion), and 1900; the Centennial Exposition at Philadelphia (1876); the World's Columbian Exposition at Chicago (1893); the Louisiana Purchase Exposition at St. Louis (1904); the British Empire Exhibition at Wembley (1924-25); the Century of Progress Exposition at Chicago (1933-34); the Golden Gate International Exposition at San Francisco (1939-40); the two New York world's fairs (1939-40, 1964-65); the Brussels World's Fair (1958); the Century 21 Exposition at Seattle (1962); Expo 67 in Montreal (1967 world's fair); and Expo 70 in Osaka, Japan (1970 world's fair). More recent expositions and world's fairs have been held at Vancouver (1986), Seville (1992), Lisbon (1998), and Hanover, Germany (2000). The Bureau of International Expositions in Paris regulates and sanctions world's fairs and international expositions.

World's Columbian Exposition, held at Chicago, May-Nov., 1893, in commemoration of the 400th anniversary of the discovery of America by Christopher Columbus. Authorized (1890) by Congress, it was planned and completed by a commission headed by Thomas W. Palmer (1830-1913), and the grounds along the Lake Michigan shore were dedicated Oct. 12, 1892. The exposition, known as the White City, comprised 150 buildings of Romanesque, Greek, and Renaissance architecture constructed of staff, a material resembling marble. Among the architects were Charles F. McKim, William R. Mead, and Stanford White, who designed the Agricultural Building; Richard M. Hunt, who designed the Administration Building; and Dankmar Adler and Louis H. Sullivan, who initiated functional architecture with the Transportation Building. Daniel H. Burnham supervised the design and construction; Frederick Law Olmsted, the landscaping. Popularly called the Chicago Fair, the exposition covered 600 acres (243 hectares), attracted exhibitors from 72 countries, and drew over 27 million visitors. It produced an unparalleled surge of creative energy that had an important influence not only in architecture but also on the cultural values of the nation.

Columbian Exposition: see World's Columbian Exposition.