London, England hosted the first World Fair in 1851 and thousands of attendees marvelled at The Crystal Palace, a structure made of glass and iron.
The brainchild of Prince Albert, consort to Queen Victoria, that first fair set a very high standard, and the idea of such an event continues to this very day.
Many of you will have noted recent references to the 2012 fair to be held in Yeosu, South Korea, brought to the public's attention because Canada has chosen not to attend, and we should all watch for further announcements.
In 1861/62, residents of New Westminster were excited because exhibits were being created and specimens were being gathered in different categories such as agriculture, logging, and mining, all to go to an exposition in London that year.
The gathered items were shown in a building on Columbia Street prior to being packed and shipped.
The list of world fairs is a lengthy one, and, in early New Westminster, the newspapers always reported on the events - who might be attending from here, what was on display, and so on.
A brief sample of ones that attracted much attention would include Paris (1889), Chicago (1893), St. Louis (1904), Seattle (1909) and San Francisco/San Diego (1915).
Apparently in 1893, people working on behalf of the Chicago fair searched our area for the Dufferin Coach, wanting to put it on display.
The coach was not sent to the fair but stayed in British Columbia, where it remains on permanent display as an important artifact in the New Westminster Museum.
Other examples of more recent fairs would include New York (1939 and 1964/65), Seattle (1962), Montreal (1967), and last year's Shanghai, China.
The New York World Fair of 1939 is fascinating to read about as it laid out the world of tomorrow.
Of course, the tomorrow being envisioned then is the world we live in today.
If you have visited Disneyland in California, you will have seen a display from the 1964/65 fair in the form of Small World.
Twenty-five years ago was British Columbia's turn, as the very popular and highly successful Expo 86 was held in Vancouver.
The event opened on May 2, and in just under two weeks attendance records hit more than one million visits.
We fielded a number of questions that summer as those interested in the history of world fairs were intrigued to find out more about the materials that had sailed off to England for the 1862 exhibition.
Since Our Past has featured a few pieces on Expo 86, we have had many requests for more memories, and this we will do.
But if you want to see some images from the fair, come to the New Westminster Historical Society program on Wednesday, Sept. 21, starting at 7: 30 p.m. in the auditorium of the New Westminster Public Library for a presentation on Expo 86.
