1. "Souvenir of the Chicago World's Fair of 1893"
Posted by Stefani on Aug-25th-02 at 4:25 PM

Only 150 bucks. What a steal!

http://www.scripophily.net/souvworfairc.html

So this FAIR was celebrating the landing of Columbus, not the land of Columbia?

Did it START in 1892, that you call it a Centennial?  As in 1492- 1892 ?

I was trying to figure out the "Centennial" part...

"The World's Columbian Exposition of 1893 was an event of immense cultural importance to an America nearing the turn of the century. From May 1 to October 31, 1893, Chicago and the Exposition were host to 27 million visitors--nearly one quarter of the country's population at the time. Fairs were an incredibly popular event in the nineteenth century; the Centennial Exhibition in Philadelphia drew over 10 million visitors in 1876 and Paris' extremely popular Exposition Universelles drew over 28 million to the city of lights. Fairs encompassed the spectrum of experience and interest of the 1800s--from sport to entertainment to high culture. To understand their importance and draw in modern terms, they could be seen as a combination of the Olympics, DisneyWorld, the Superbowl, and the National Gallery--an international entertainment and cultural event with lasting social importance. "

http://xroads.virginia.edu/~MA96/WCE/history.html

I guess I am mistaken. The chicago fair was known by the Chicago World's Fair and the Columbia Exhibition, but not Centennial. That was given to the World's Fair in Philly in 1876, the Centennial of the Declaration of Independence.

Overview of the Exhibition

"Origins of the World's Columbian Exposition can be seen in the 1876 Centennial Exhibition in Philadelphia. The Philadelphia event marked the first large-scale effort of this kind in the United States. As early as 1880, advocates argues that a special exposition should mark the 400th anniversary of Columbus sailing to the New World. By 1888, the movement gained enough momentum to begin being taken seriously by the public, and by government officials. Early on, St. Louis was a leader for the site location. By 1889, public opinion and individual efforts had mobilized enough support to launch the new exposition. Contenders for the massive exposition site included St. Louis, Chicago, New York, and Washington, D. C. In an effort to woo the U. S. Congress to select their city, Chicago businesses raised $5,000,000 to pledge to the fair, and promised to double the amount if Chicago was selected. After eight ballots, Congress finally selected Chicago as the site, by a vote of 157 for Chicago, 107 for New York, 25 for St. Louis, and 18 for Washington, D. C. The fair was considered the greatest event of its kind in history."

http://users.vnet.net/schulman/Columbian/columbian.html

1893: World's Columbian Exposition
"The "I Will" spirit of Chicago was notably illustrated by the World's Columbian Exposition. Designed to commemorate the 400th anniversary of the discovery of America by Columbus, it was also to bring attention to the enterprise and ingenuity of Chicagoans and the phenomenal growth of their city. New York was a strong contender for the location of the exposition but Chicago's energy and determination eventually secured the vote of Congress in favor of that city.

Under the general supervision of Daniel H. Burnham, Jackson Park, then little more than a swamp, was transformed into a fabulous White City of classic buildings, statues and fountains. The beautiful Palace of Fine Arts won much acclaim and today it houses the Museum of Science and Industry. (The building was reduced to its original steel skeleton and brick walls and then reconstructed in permanent stone.)

The Exposition opened May 1, 1893, ran for six months and attracted 27,539,000 visitors--almost half of the total number of people then living in the United States. "

http://www.chipublib.org/004chicago/timeline/columbianx.html

Columbus and Columbia. A Pictorial History of the Man and the Nation. Embracing a Review of Our Country's Progress, A Complete History of America, A New Life of Columbus and an Illustrated Description of the Great Colombian Exposition. 4 Books in One Volume. Book I by Hon. James G. Blaine. Book II by J.W. Buel. Book III John Clark Ridpath. Book IV Benj. Butterworth. Phila: Ulmer Curtis & Co, 1892. Edge rubbing some light foxing of title page. (Stock number 003wf0624i) $100.00

Now I get it, THANKS
I forgot that our NATION used to be referred to as COLUMBIA---as an example :  District of Columbia =D.C.  !!