At the time of the World, s Columbian Exposition of 1893, the United States was fast becoming the world, s leading economy. Chicago, the host city, had grown in less than half a century from a village to the country, s second-largest metropolis. During this, the Gilded Age, the world, s most extensive railroad and steamship networks poured ceaselessly through Chicago, carrying the raw goods and finished products of America, s great age of invention and industrial expansion. The Fair was the largest ever at the time, with 65, 000 exhibitors and millions of visitors. It has been called the , Blueprint of the American Future, and marked the beginning of the national economy and consumer culture.
