Chicago's 1933 world's fair set a new direction for international expositions. Earlier fairs had exhibited technological advances, but Chicago's fair organizers used the very idea of progress to buoy national optimism during the Depression's darkest years. Orchestrated by business leaders and engineers, almost all former military men, the fair reflected a business-military-engineering model that envisioned a promising future through science and technology's application to everyday life. But not everyone at Chicago's 1933 exposition had abandoned notions of progress that entailed social justice and equality, recognition of ethnicity and gender, and personal freedom and expression. The fair's motto, ''Science Finds, Industry Applies, Man Conforms,'' was challenged by iconoclasts such as Sally Rand, whose provocative fan dance became a persistent symbol of the fair, as well as a handful of others, including African Americans, ethnic populations and foreign nationals, groups of working women, and even well-heeled socialites. Cheryl R. Ganz offers the stories of fair planners and participants who showcased education, industry, and entertainment to sell optimism during the depths of the Great Depression. This engaging history also features eighty-six photographs--nearly half of which are full colour--of key locations, exhibits, and people, as well as authentic ticket stubs, postcards, pamphlets, posters, and other items.
''Beginning and ending with controversial fan dancer Sally Rand, The 1933 Chicago World's Fair gives readers a distinctive and authoritative take on this important exposition. Cheryl R. Ganz's thorough research and very readable writing style ensure that this will remain the standard history of A Century of Progress for years to come.'' John E. Findling, co-editor of Encyclopedia of World's Fairs and Expositions ''Cheryl R. Ganz gives a fascinating behind-the-scenes view of the 1933 Chicago world's fair, with interesting angles on the infighting among various interest groups. A significant addition to world's fair studies, with novel contributions regarding gender, race, ethnicity, and class.'' Arthur P. Molella, director of the Smithsonian's Lemelson Center for the Study of Invention and Innovation ''This book's strength lies in its exploration of what 'progress' meant to the various world's fair stakeholders and to the fair's historical narrative. Ganz enriches the history of world's fairs and expands our understanding of the early twentieth century.'' Bonnie Lilienfeld, deputy chair and curator of the Division of Home and Community Life at the National Museum of American History
