Questions that will be answered:
1. Why is the 2018 World's Fair compared to the 1904 World's Fair so different and in what ways?
2. In 1904 some technologies we now take for granted were introduced to the public - what were these and describe how these technologies adopted by the public have changed society for the better and for the worst. What technologies are being touted at the 2010 Fair and what likely consequences will these have if adopted by societies of the near future?
3. Where did anthropologists in 1904 get the idea that the races had evolved unequally and what possible consequences resulted from the arrangement of the races in keeping with this notion? If anthropologist of a future world's fair adopted the notion that humans have devolved, not evolved what would the anthropological arrangement look like?
4. What would the electrical grid look like if Edison's method of electrifying the 1904 Fair had been adopted by America? What is a possible new development regarding electrical power and how might this influence society.
5. Describe the classification system used in 1904 for the display Palaces and what classification system would you use for a modern fair if you were in charge?
6. What building materials were used to construct the 1904 Fair and why? What building materials might be used for a fair in 2104? You may use the internet to try to answer this question.
7. Describe the contents of one of the Palace of Varied Industries and describe what might be put into such a Palace in a modern world's fair?
8. What two Presidents walked on the ground in Forest Park that we walked when we toured the fair grounds and what President was assassinated at a world's fair in Buffalo in 1901? What was security like regarding guns at the 1904 Fair? Why do you think security is different today at fairs than it was in 1904?
9. Describe the smells, aromas of the 1904 Fair. Describe the likely smells and aromas of a 2010 World's fair. Why the difference in olfactory experiences? Do the same with the 'sounds' of the 1904 Fair compared to the sounds of a 2010 World's fair - again why the differences?
10. Describe the music of the 1904 fair and compare it to the likely music of the 2010 World's fair. Explain the differences. How was the music of 1904 generated and heard? Compare that to the generation and hearing of music at the 2010 World's fair. Why the differences? How does the music of 1904 and of 2010 gives us clues as to the culture and its values and its people?
11. Describe the role of women in 1904 and how they experienced the fair differently than the men of that era. Do the same regarding the up coming 2010 World's Fair. Why this difference?
12. Describe the wars that were topics of the 1904 Fair and how they were presented. Would wars be presented in such a way to the 2010 fair goers or some future fair? Why or why not? All the weapons used by human beings up to the 1904 fair were on display at the fair and were demonstrated. What would happen at a 2010 fair is this was done with the weapons of our era? Why have human beings developed these kinds of weapons?
13. Describe the kind of clothing worn to the fair in 1904 and compare it to the kind of clothing that will be worn to the 2010 fair. Why this difference in attire? Evaluate whether why this difference is a good or bad thing for human society.
14. What was made at the 1904 Fair before the eyes of the visitors that would have impressed them and why? What could be made at a 2010 Fair that might impress you and why so?
15. What would have happened if the 1904 World's Fair would have been preserved for all these 105 years so that people could come from all around the world to see it exactly as it was seen in 1904 and experience it just as it was experienced back then? Why did this not happen? What was preserved from the 1904 Fair and what influence have those things preserved had upon our lives, our culture and the lives of others?
16. What animals were at the 1904 World's Fair? Why were animals like these brought to the fair? What animal exhibits would not be a part of a 2010 fair and why not? What was the role of animals in the lives of most people in 1904 compared to the role animals play in the lives of most people today? Why has this changed?
17. Of all the technologies displayed in 1904 fair which of these has had the most profound influence on the last 105 years of human history? Why do you think so? Of all the technologies that might be put on display at a modern fair which do you think will have the most impact upon the next 100 years and why so and what will it be?
18. If you could take ONE modern technological innovation back to the 1904 Fair to show the people there what would it b e? And if you did manage to do so, what would the consequences be for the next 105 years of human history? In other words if you could have introduced this particular technology in 1904 in such a way that it would be possible for the people then to start using it after the fair, what would the next 100 years of history have been like?
19. Pretend you are a 1904 visitor to the fair. Write a diary of your experiences and what you saw and what impressed you the most and why. In this diary write down some thoughts about what consequences you think might take place as a result of what you saw.
20. What were some of the really BIG things at the 1904 fair? What were some of the really small things at the 1904 fair? At a modern fair what would be some of the really BIG things put on display and what would be some of the really small things put on display? Why does it matter that something is really big or something is very small? Why this fascination with the size of things?