Jay Roper, age 12, of Rutland, Vt., for is question:
WHEN WAS THE FIRST FAIR HELD?
Fairs started back in ancient Egypt and Mesopotamia about the same time as the first civilizations were starting. Traders loaded their camels with various cargoes and timed their arrival at towns on festival days when great crowds of people would be gathered.
Early traders set up tents and displayed their wares. Also, merchants from many lands came to barter and trade their products. Often magicians and other entertainers set up tents to show their talents.
And so the fair was born.
Greeks tied their fairs into their religious games. And the Romans traded during their annual feast of Voltumna.
By the time the Middle Ages came along, the fair had become an important part of European life. People looked forward to fair days, which were usually held as part of religious festivals.
Fairs of the Middle Ages included side shows which featured trained dogs, wild animals, freaks, actors, poets, musicians and clowns.
Through the years fairs gave merchants, farmers and other producers the opportunity to sell more goods to more people. The fairs also gave amusement and entertainment to people at a time when contacts with the outside world were scarce.
Some of the major European fairs date back to the 13th century. Among the famous international fairs are those of Leipzig and Frankfurt, Germany; Lyons and Paris, France; Utrecht, Netherlands; Vienna, Austria; Prague, Czechoslovakia; Milan, Italy; Brussels, Belgium; Posen, Poland; Valencia, Spain; and Salonika, Greece.
The Great Exhibition of the Works of All Nations, held in Hyde Park, London, in 1851, is considered to be the first exposition ever. The exhibition was housed in one building, the Crystal Palace. This greenhouse like building of glass and iron was destroyed by fire in 1936
First U.S. international exposition was held in New York City in 1853.
Almost 5,000 exhibitors took part in that New York City exposition. About half of them were from 23 foreign countries. But eves with this fine turnout of exhibitors, the exposition was only partly successful.
The famous showman P.T. Barnum was asked to reopen the exhibition in 1854, but he refused.
The first great exposition in the U.S. was the Centennial in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, in 1876, marking the 100th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence. Alexander Graham Hell showed his telephone publicly for the first time et that fair
Another great early fair was the Columbian Exposition held n Chicago, Ill., in 1892 to celebrate the 400th anniversary of Columbus' discovery of America. It was here that George Westinghouse first displayed the alternating current generator, which is used in present day lighting and electric power. Also, Henry Ford got his idea for the motor car here.