4 major international exhibitions

The International Exhibition is an event designed to showcase achievements and information about countries around the world.

An exhibition or international fair is a platform where a country can share its achievements with the rest of the world. At the beginning of globalization, these events were organized in the form of pavilions from around the world, providing information about their citizens and culture. It was also popular in the past at exhibitions to present new inventions from all over the world.

However, such events were sometimes carried out for propaganda purposes, since politics and money were of great importance in this area. Although many people believe that with the invention of the Internet, exhibitions have become obsolete, but Expo 2010 in Shanghai was very successful.

4. World's Fair in New York (1939)

The 1939 New York World's Fair was the largest in US history. The number of visitors exceeded 44 million. This was the first exhibition that raised the theme of futurism and was held under the slogan: "The world of the future." It took place in New York's Crown Park and covered an area of 4.9 square kilometers, second only to the 1904 Louisiana Purchase exhibition. Expo 1939 was originally supposed to take place during the Great Depression to rebuild the city from the effects of the economic crisis by attracting foreign investment.

The exhibition opened on April 30, 1939, on the 150th anniversary of George Washington's inauguration. Its opening was seen by 206,000 spectators. Major inventions on display at the show included a nylon factory, a stereoscope, a redesigned pencil sharpener, and a futuristic car city showcased by General Motor.

3. Exposition Universelle - Paris (1900)

The twentieth century began with a landmark exhibition in Paris in 1900 known as the Exposition Universelle. The number of visitors exceeded 48 million. According to this indicator, it ranks first in Europe and third in the world for the entire twentieth century. Exposition Universelle was one of the first exhibitions in which several countries participated. France has invited different states to showcase their technological achievements and cultural heritage.

The official opening took place on April 14, 1900 with a relatively small number of spectators due to high ticket prices. Exposition Universelle was the birthplace of many discoveries that we still use today, such as escalators, talkies. The organization of the event turned out to be expensive, the cost per visitor exceeded the cost of entrance tickets by 600 francs. The total losses from the exhibition amounted to 82,000 francs in six months.

Part of the Exposition Universelle were the Olympic Games, which were held for the first time outside Greece, but they were not successful. The exhibition also had a dark side - human zoos. They were intended to justify France's colonial policy. The Africans in these zoos were engaged in their traditional activities, which should have demonstrated their inferior position compared to the French.

2. Expo 70, Osaka, Japan

Expo 70 was the largest trade fair in history. The event was held in the Japanese city of Osaka with the motto: "Progress and Harmony for Humanity." It was attended by more than 64 million people, and this record was broken only after 40 years of Expo 2010 in Shanghai. Osaka City received the majority of votes from the Bureau of International Exhibitions in 1965 and permission to host the event in 1970.

Expo 70 opened on March 15, 1970 and lasted six months until the closing ceremony on September 13, 1970. The exhibition area was 330 hectares. 77 countries and 4 international organizations took part in Expo-70. Notable exhibits included a large piece of moonstone brought back by the Apollo 12 spacecraft and a cinema that screened the first IMAX film.

After the event closed, some of the pavilions remained intact and the site is now known as Expo Commemoration Park. It also houses a time capsule, scheduled to open in 6970.

1. Expo 2010, Shanghai, China

Expo 2010 was held in Shanghai, China from May 1 to October 31, 2010. It was attended by 73 million people, which is a record in the history of such events. It also turned out to be the most international of all exhibitions - 246 countries took part in it. The area of the habitat was about 5.28 square kilometers. Moreover, the exhibition set the record for daily attendance on October 16, 2010 - more than one million people.

The theme of the event: “Better City, Better Life”. Shanghai won the bid to host Expo 2010 during a meeting of the Bureau of International Exhibitions, receiving the maximum number of votes. The government spent $ 2.7 billion on organizing the event, creating and developing a 5.28 square kilometer site. On April 30, 2010, the opening ceremony was held in which the largest LED screen and the most grandiose fireworks in history were used.

The Chinese pavilion was the tallest, with an area of 160 thousand square meters, which is a record for the entire period of international exhibitions. Expo 2010 was recognized as a successful investment for the Chinese government as the organizers earned a profit of $ 157 million. The exhibition was also a symbol of the growing power of China.