Inventions

            The World's Fair was a showcase of new inventions. The city itself was a part of this showcase, with an ambulance service, electric streetlights, and a sewage processing system that turned the sewage into manure for farmers. While incomplete, the White City gave visitors the idea of what a modern city could be.

ferris wheel cwf.jpg

The Ferris Wheel

           The Ferris Wheel was invented and planned in response to the Eiffel Tower that was showcased at the 1889 exposition in Paris. Daniel Burnham had the initial idea of a massive wheel as the United States version of the Eiffel Tower. George Washington Gake Ferris Jr. was given the idea but believed it would be unsafe but took the idea and began to work on what would become the Ferris Wheel.

           In the winter of 1892 and early 1893, construction of the world's first Ferris Wheel began. This winter was a particularly rough winter and Ferris, and his team used explosives and jets of steam to keep the ground thawed enough for construction. Ferris owned a steel-inspection company which gave him the ability to get as much steel as he needed for this project.

           Even with the fair opening on May 1st, the Ferris Wheel was not completed and opened until June 21st, but even with the delay the Ferris Wheel had 1.4 million visitors during the fair. After the Chicago World's Fair, this wheel was moved around Illinois and brought to St. Louis for the 1904 World's Fair. After this exposition, the Wheel was demolished. This was not the end of the Ferris Wheel, after it was demolished, a new wheel was built based on the Chicago Wheel's design in Chicago. Ferris Wheels are still a beloved attraction at American fairs and all around the world.

PSM_V44_D054_An_electric_kitchen.jpg

The Electric Kitchen

           The First Electric Kitchen was one of the inventions that debuted at the Chicago World's Fair, and this is one of the inventions that changed how American's live their everyday lives. This kitchen had an automatic dishwasher, a ceiling fan, and electrical outlets on the wall. This is the beginning of the modern kitchen. In this kitchen, there were also food items that were debuting at the fair that would also become household names like Craker Jack, Juicy Fruit, and Shredded Wheat.

Other Big Inventions

           Some of the other inventions that were showcased at the Fair that would become important items to Americans include:

  • The 'clasp locker', this design would later be improved to create the zipper that is still used daily all around the world.
  • Phosphorescent lamps, the precursor to florescent lamps
  • The travelator, a moving walkway, much like the ones used in airports today.
  • A device that would allow books to be printed in Braille.

 

Inventions