Skip to main content

The timeline can be navigated with the “Scroll Left” and “Scroll Right” buttons or by dragging the pointer to a date on the timeline waveform (located at the bottom of the screen on the desktop version and on the left of the screen on mobile). To filter by a particular topic and see a smaller section of the data, make a selection on the dropdown “Filters” menu or click “Search” to do a keyword search. Hover over the abbreviated filter tags in the blue boxes to see the complete name of the filter, or click a filter to display all the data with this tag. If you want to take a deeper dive into a specific topic by viewing a narrative essay page and a curated timeline, click on “Stories.”

Read More

The World's Columbian Exposition becomes a catalyst for the widespread practice of "freak shows."

1893

CCMS
COL

The Chicago World's Columbian Exposition, which is often known as the "Chicago World's Fair," is billed as a celebration of the 400th anniversary of Columbus's colonization of Native lands, and features rides, games, burlesque, and "freak shows." The national marketing for the exposition and the large number of visitors spreads interest in "freak shows" as a new and "legitimate" form of entertainment across the U.S.