Gadgets and Gizmos Galore

Panoramic View of the Century of Progress, World's Fair, 1933

The 1933 Chicago Century of Progress Fair was a bold statement of the power of industry and science to propel Chicago and the United States into a bright future. The exposition was a glimmer of hope during the woes of the Great Depression. The fair itself created jobs and attracted tourism, but its legacy remains closely associated with the future of architectural planning and consumerism of Chicago post-Great Depression. The fair differed quite greatly from the 1893 World's Colombian Exposition in that it emphasized the power of technological innovation through an increased number of corporate pavilions.

The motto, "Science Finds, Industry Applies, Man Conforms," underscored the burgeoning eminence of corporate technological innovation. The architecture mirrored the transition from "White City" and tradition to the vibrancy of technicolor and ArtDeco. The SkyRide was emblematic of the urge to innovate and build a better world through technology and science. The Hall of Science was the premier location of the fair comprised of nearly two dozen corporate displays of the future of technology and science. George Keck's House of Tomorrow depicted the future of commonplace household appliances. On one hand, like fairs before, the Century of Progress Exposition sought to amaze the viewers, on the other hand, there was a hope that viewers would feel compelled to invest in what they saw. The fair took on the contours of then president Franklin D. Roosevelt's plan to stimulate government spending through collective thought and notions of communal responsibility to one's country.

From left: Edwin B. Frost, Christian t. elves, staff and Otto Struve, Yerkes director, examine a General Electric photoelectric relay and the photocell tube that will help activate the lights of the 'Century of Progress."

The science of the exposition operated beyond discourse of innovation and corporation. Science bled into anthropological displays of the "Other" that substantiated racial hierarchy. The exposition boasted ethnographic displays marketed as entertainment for the masses. The science of race was much less overt than that of previous fairs, which was an attempt on the part of leadership to limit moments of racial assertiveness that could be seen as divisive. In the ideas of futurity and progress, there was a need to adhere to hierarchy and homogeneity which obviously created tensions among those who were marginalized by dominant powers of society.

Technology and science were the central themes of the exposition and permeated the entire fair. Technology was not simply used for amazement, but the fair employed technology as a means of inciting consumer activity. The fair blurred the borders between entertainment, education, and innovation through exhibitions that often needed to complete all three in order to reach the masses. The notion of "cooperative progress" as Cheryl R. Ganz elicited the collaboration of scientists and corporate giants like General Electric which produced such displays as the Arcturus light display.