In a white “city” of steel and plaster, Chicago celebrated the 400-year anniversary of the discovery of America. The huge halls, richly decorated with sculptures on their exterior, accommodated 70,000 exhibitors. Here, Thomas Edison displayed his newest phonographs and the “cinematoscope”. In addition to the American states and foreign countries, many interest groups were able to erect their own pavilions in the lagoon park next to Lake Michigan. For the first time, there was an exhibition building put up by and for women. The “Midway Plaisance”, an amusement park, was an American invention which offered something to suit everyone’s taste, from a ride on the “Big Wheel” to a visit to a strip-tease show, and was the precursor of such fairgrounds as Coney Island and Disney World.