Expo has since its start in 1851 both mirrored the world we live in and contributed in changing it for the better. The exhibitions have grown with the world, becoming bigger and bigger. Here we look back at memorable exhibitions and inventions unveiled at them, all throughout the history of World Expo.

The Chrystal Palace
The very first World Expo was held in London 1851 under the name The Great Exhibition. This exhibition was held in the Chrystal Palace specially built for it. This steel and glass construction was 92,000 m2 and hosted the 14,000 exhibitors who came from across the world to display the industrial advance and inventions that the industrial revolution had left the world with. Unfortunately, the Chrystal Palace is no more. It burned down in 1936.

The telephone
1876 the first World Fair held in America opened in Philadelphia. Here the visitors were introduced to the telephone, which came to change the way we communicate forever.

The Eiffel Tower
The Eiffel Tower was constructed for the 1889 Exposition Universelle in Paris and was at the time the tallest building in the world. Even though the tower has been passed in hight by more recent buildings, the tower still stands as an important city symbol in Paris.

The Ferris wheel
The Ferris wheel first debuted at the World’s Fair in Chicago in 1893. The attraction got its name and design from George Washington Gale Ferris Jr.

Television
Such a normal part of our lives today as television was introduced at World Expo. 1939 the first live TV broadcast was made at the World’s Fair in New York.

The X-Ray Machine
This med-tech wonder was introduced to the world during the World’s Fair in Buffalo, New York in 1901.

The ice cream cone
Not only technical inventions dominate the World Expos. 1904 at the St Louis World Expo the ice cream cone was introduced, revolutionizing the way we enjoy our ice cream to this day.

IMAX cinema
Using higher resolution, IMAX made it possible to screen images on bigger screens than ever. The very first screening took place at the Fuji Pavilion at the World’s Fair 1970 in Osaka.

The Touch Screen
The touch screen had its debut at the Specialized Expo themed “Energy Turns the World” in Knoxville, USA all the way back in 1982. Just as the television, this invention influences people’s everyday life all across the globe today.

The humanoid robot
When World Expo 2005 in Japan, Nagoya, opened the workers at the site were not all humans. Amongst the personnel worked humanoid robots as, amongst others, receptionists and performers. It might have seemed contradictive to the visitors, since the theme of the Expo was “Nature’s Wisdom”.