Beginning with London’s Crystal Palace in 1851, world’s fairs became the venue for displaying the future of industry, technology, art, and design. Philadelphia’s 1876 Centennial Exhibition ...

This article was originally published with the title “ World's Exhibition of Industry for 1851 ” in Scientific American Magazine Vol. 5 No. 32 (April 1850), p. 251 doi:10.1038 ...

On May 1 1851 Queen Victoria opened the Great Exhibition. By the time it closed on October 15 it had attracted more than six million people, nearly a third of the population.

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