This is a , a comprehensive chronological list of World's Fairs (with notable permanent buildings built). For an annotated list of all world's fairs sanctioned by the Bureau Of International Expositions (BIE) see List Of World Expositions .
As an aside, The oldest North American expo calling itself a World's Fair is actually the World's Fair of . However, it is not a "world's fair" in the same expansive sense as the following entries of this page.
1750s - 1790s - 1800s - 1820s - 1840s - 1850s - 1860s - 1870s - 1880s - 1890s - 1900s - 1910s - 1920s - 1930s - 1940s - 1950s - 1960s - 1970s - 1980s - 1990s - 2000s - 2010s
- 1851 - London , England - Great Exhibition of the Works of Industry of All Nations -- The Crystal Palace
- 1852 - Cork , Ireland - Irish Industrial Exhibition (1852)
- 1853 - New York, New York , United States - Exhibition Of The Industry Of All Nations (1853)
- 1853 - Dublin , Ireland - Great Industrial Exhibition (1853)
- 1854 - Munich, Germany - Allgemeine Deutsche Industrie-Ausstellung (1854)
- 1854 - Melbourne, Victoria , Australia - Melbourne Exhibition (1854) (in conjunction with Exposition Universelle (1855) )
- 1855 - Paris, France - Exposition Universelle (1855)
- 1855 - Dublin , Ireland - Dublin International Exhibition (1855)
- 1857 - Manchester , England - Art Treasures Exhibition (1857)
- 1860 - Besançon, France - Exposition Universelle (1860)
- 1861 - Melbourne, Victoria , Australia - Victorian Exhibition (1861)
- 1862 - Hamburg, Germany - International Agricultural Exhibition (1862)
- 1862 - London , England - International Exhibition (1862) (Great London Exposition) ( South Kensington , England )
- 1864 - Amsterdam, Netherlands - Dutch Industry Expostion (1864)
- 1865 - Philadelphia, Pennsylvania , United States - Great Central Fair For The US Sanitary Commission (1865)
- 1865 - Oporto, Portugal - Exposição Internacional (1865)
- 1865 - Dublin, Ireland - International Exhibition Of Arts And Manufactures (1865)
- 1865 - Dunedin, New Zealand - New Zealand Exhibition (1865)
- 1866 - Melbourne, Victoria , Australia - Intercolonial Exhibition Of Australasia (1866)
- 1867 - Paris, France - Exposition Universelle (1867)
- 1868 - Le Havre, France - Exposition Maritime Internationale (1868)
- 1870 - Sydney, New South Wales , Australia - Intercolonial Exhibition (1870)
- 1871 - Córdoba, Argentina - Exposición Nacional (1871)
- 1871 - London , England - First Annual International Exhibition (1871)
- 1872 - London , England - Second Annual International Exhibition (1872)
- 1872 - Lima , Peru - Exposicion Internacional De 1872
- 1872 - Lyon, France - Exposition Universelle Et Internationale (1872)
- 1872 - Kyoto, Japan - Exhibition Of Arts And Manufactures (1872)
- 1873 - London , England - Third Annual International Exhibition (1873)
- 1873 - Vienna, Austria - Weltausstellung 1873 Wien
- 1873 - Sydney, New South Wales , Australia - Metropolitan Intercolonial Exhibition (1873)
- 1874 - London , England - Fourth Annual International Exhibition (1874)
- 1874 - Dublin, Ireland - International Exhibition Of Arts And Manufactures (1874)
- 1874 - Rome, Italy - Esposizione Internazionale (1874) (never held)
- 1875 - Santiago, Chile - Exposicion Internacional De 1875
- 1875 - Melbourne, Victoria , Australia - Victorian Intercolonial Exhibition (1875)
- 1875 - Nizhni Novgorod, Russia - Nizhni Novgorod Fair (1875)
- 1875 - Sydney, New South Wales , Australia - Intercolonial Exhibition (1875)
- 1875 - Santiago, Chile - Exposición Internacional De Chile
- 1876 - Philadelphia, Pennsylvania , United States - Centennial Exposition
- 1876 - Brisbane, Queensland , Australia - Intercolonial Exhibition (1876)
- 1877 - Cape Town , South Africa - South African International Exhibition (1877)
- 1877 - Tokyo, Japan - First National Industrial Exhibition (1877) ( Ueno Park )
- 1878 - Paris, France - Exposition Universelle (1878)
- 1878 - Ballarat , Victoria , Australia - Australian Juvenile Industrial Exhibition (1878)
- 1879 - Sydney, New South Wales , Australia - Sydney International Exhibition (1879)
- 1879 - Melbourne, Victoria , Australia - Intercolonial Juvenile Industrial Exhibition (1879)
- 1880 - Melbourne, Victoria , Australia - Melbourne International Exhibition (1880)
- 1881 - Atlanta, Georgia , United States - International Cotton Exposition (1881)
- 1881 - Budapest, Hungary - Országos Magyar Nöiparkiállitás (1881)
- 1882 - Bordeaux, France - Exposition Internationale Des Vins (1882)
- 1882 - Buenos Aires , Argentina - Exposición Continental Sud-Americana (1882)
- 1883 - Boston, Massachusetts , United States - The American Exhibition Of The Products, Arts And Manufactures Of Foreign Nations (1883)
- 1883 - Amsterdam, Netherlands - Internationale Koloniale En Uitvoerhandel Tentoonstelling (1883) (International Colonial Exhibition)
- 1883 - Calcutta, India - Calcutta International Exhibition (1883)
- 1883 - Parramatta, New South Wales , Australia - Intercolonial Juvenile Industrial Exhibition (1883)
- 1883 - Louisville, Kentucky , United States - Southern Exposition
- 1883 - New York, New York , United States - World's Fair (1883) (never held)
- 1884 - New Orleans, Louisiana , United States - World Cotton Centennial (1884) (New Orleans Universal Exposition and World's Fair), (World's Industrial and Cotton Centennial Exhibition), (New Orleans Centennial)
- 1884 - Melbourne, Victoria , Australia - Victorian International Exhibition 1884 Of Wine, Fruit, Grain & Other Products Of The Soil Of Australasia With Machinery, Plant And Tools Employed
- 1884 - Edinburgh, Scotland - International Forestry Exhibition (1884)
- 1884 - St. Louis, Missouri , United States - Saint Louis Exposition (1884)
- 1884 - Turin, Italy - Esposizione Generale Italiana (1884)
- 1885 - Melbourne, Victoria , Australia - Victorians' Jubilee Exhibition (1885) (Jubilee of Victoria Exhibition)
- 1885 - Antwerp, Belgium - Exposition Universelle D'Anvers (1885)
- 1885 - Wellington, New Zealand - New Zealand Industrial Exhibition (1885)
- 1885 - New Orleans, Louisiana , United States - North, Central And South American Exposition (1885)
- 1885 - London , England - International Exhibition Of Inventions
- 1886 - London , England - Colonial And Indian Exhibition (1886)
- 1886 - Melbourne, Victoria , Australia
- 1886 - Edinburgh, Scotland - International Exhibition Of Industry, Science And Art (1886)
- 1886 - Liverpool, England - International Exhibition Of Navigation, Commerce And Industry (1886)
- 1887 - Adelaide, South Australia , Australia - Adelaide Jubilee International Exhibition (1887)
- 1887 - Geelong, Victoria , Australia - Geelong Jubilee Juvenile And Industrial Exhibition (1887)
- 1887 - London , England - American Exhibition (1887)
- 1887 - Rome, Italy - Esposizione Mondiale (1887)
- 1888 - Melbourne, Victoria , Australia - Victorian Juvenile Industrial Exhibition (1888) , Centennial International Exhibition
- 1888 - Glasgow, Scotland - International Exhibition (1888)
- 1888 - Brussels, Belgium - Grand Concours International Des Sciences Et De L'Industrie (1888)
- 1888 - Barcelona, Spain - Exposición Universal De Barcelona (1888)
- 1888 - Lisbon, Portugal - Exposição Industrial Portugueza (1888)
- 1888 - Copenhagen, Denmark - The Nordic Exhibition Of 1888 (1888)
- 1889 - Paris, France - Exposition Universelle (1889) - Eiffel Tower
- 1889 - Dunedin, New Zealand - New Zealand And South Seas Exhibition (1889)
- 1889 - Buffalo, New York , United States - International Industrial Fair (1889)
- 1890 - Bremen, Germany - Nord-West-Deutsche Gewerbe Und Industrie-Ausstellung (1890)
- 1891 - Moscow, Russia - Exposition Française (1891)
- 1891 - Kingston, Jamaica - International Exhibition (1891)
- 1891 - Launceston, Tasmania , Australia - Tasmanian International Exhibition (1891)
- 1891 - Prague , Bohemia - General Land Centennial Exhibition (1891) at the Prague Exhibition Grounds {Link without Title}
- 1892 - Genoa, Italy - Esposizione Italo-americana (1892)
- 1892 - Madrid, Spain - Exposición Histórico-Americana (1892)
- 1892 - Washington, DC , United States - Exposition Of The Three Americas (1892) (never held)
- 1893 - Chicago , Illinois , United States - World's Columbian Exposition
- 1893 - Kimberly, South Africa - South Africa And International Exhibition (1893)
- 1893 - New York, New York , United States - World's Fair Prize Winners' Exposition (1893)
- 1894 - San Francisco, California , United States - California Midwinter International Exposition Of 1894
- 1894 - Antwerp, Belgium - Exposition Internationale D'Anvers (1894)
- 1894 - Lyon, France - Exposition Internationale Et Coloniale (1894)
- 1894 - Oporto, Portugal - Exposição Insular E Colonial Portugueza (1894)
- 1895 - Hobart , Tasmania , Australia - Tasmanian International Exhibition (1895)
- 1895 - Ballarat , Victoria , Australia - Australian Industrial Exhibition (1895)
- 1895 - Atlanta, Georgia , United States - Cotton States And International Exposition (1895) (Atlanta Exposition)
- 1896 - Berlin, Germany - Gewerbe-Ausstellung (1896)
- 1896 - Mexico City, Mexico - International Exposition (1896) (never held)
- 1897 - Brussels, Belgium - Exposition Internationale De Bruxelles (1897)
- 1897 - Guatemala City, Guatemala - Exposición Centro-Americana (1897)
- 1897 - Brisbane, Queensland , Australia - Queensland International Exhibition (1897)
- 1897 - Chicago , Illinois , United States - Irish Fair (1897)
- 1897 - Nashville, Tennessee , United States - Tennessee Centennial And International Exposition
- 1897 - Stockholm , Sweden - Allmänna Konst- Och Industriutställningen (1897)
- 1898 - Dunedin, New Zealand - Otago Jubilee Industrial Exhibition (1898)
- 1898 - Omaha, Nebraska , United States - Trans-Mississippi Exposition
- 1898 - Bergen, Norway - International Fisheries Exposition (1898)
- 1898 - Munich, Germany - Kraft- Und Arbeitsmaschinen-Ausstellung (1898)
- 1898 - San Francisco, California , United States - California's Golden Jubilee (1898)
- 1898 - Turin, Italy - Esposizione Generale Italiana (1898)
- 1898 - Vienna, Austria - Jubiläums-Ausstellung (1898)
- 1899 - Coolgardie, Western Australia , Australia - Western Australian International Mining And Industrial Exhibition (1899)
- 1899 - Omaha, Nebraska , United States - Greater America Exposition (1899)
- 1899 - Philadelphia, Pennsylvania , United States - National Export Exposition (1899)
- 1899 - London , England - Greater Britain Exhibition (1899)
- 1900 - Paris, France - Exposition Universelle (1900)
- 1900 - Adelaide, South Australia , Australia - Century Exhibition Of Arts And Industries (1900)
- 1901 - Buffalo, New York , United States - Pan-American Exposition
- 1901 - Glasgow, Scotland - Glasgow International Exhibition (1901)
- 1901 - Vienna, Austria - Bosnische Weihnachts-Ausstellung (1901)
- 1901 - Charleston, South Carolina , United States - South Carolina And Interstate And West Indian Exposition (1901)
- 1902 - Turin, Italy - Esposizione Internazionale D'Arte Decorativa Moderna (1902)
- 1902 - Hanoi, Vietnam (Tonkin), Indo China Exposition Française Et Internationale (1902)
- 1902 - New York, New York , United States - United States, Colonial And International Exposition (1902) (never held)
- 1902 - Toledo, Ohio , United States - Ohio Centennial And Northwest Territory Exposition (1902) - (never held)
- 1903 - Osaka, Japan - National Industrial Exposition (1903)
- 1905 - Portland, Oregon , United States - Lewis & Clark Centennial Exposition (1905)
- 1905 - Liège, Belgium - Exposition Universelle Et Internationale (1905)
- 1905 - London , England - Naval, Shipping And Fisheries Exhibition (1905)
- 1905 - New York, New York , United States - Irish Industrial Exposition (1905)
- 1906 - Milan, Italy - Esposizione Internazionale Del Sempione (1906)
- 1906 - London , England - Austrian Exhibition (1906)
- 1906 - Marseille, France - Exposition Coloniale (1906)
- 1906 - Christchurch, New Zealand - International Exhibition (1906)
- 1907 - Dublin, Ireland - Irish International Exhibition (1907)
- 1907 - Hampton Roads, Virginia , United States - Jamestown Exposition
- 1907 - Chicago , Illinois , United States - World's Pure Food Exposition (1907)
- 1907 - Mannheim, Germany - Internationale Kunst-Ausstellung (1907)
- 1908 - London , England - Franco-British Exhibition (1908)
- 1908 - New York, New York , United States - International Mining Exposition (1908)
- 1908 - Rio De Janeiro, Rio De Janeiro , Brazil - Exposição Nacional (1908)
- 1909 - Seattle, Washington , United States - Alaska-Yukon-Pacific Exposition
- 1909 - New York, New York , United States - Hudson-Fulton Celebration (1909)
- 1909 - San Francisco, California , United States - Portolá Festival (1909)
- 1909 - Quito, Ecuador - Exposición Nacional (1909)
- 1910 - Nanking, China - Nanking Exposition (1910)
- 1910 - Brussels, Belgium - Exposition Universelle Et Industrielle Des Bruxelles (1910)
- 1910 - Buenos Aires , Argentina - Exposición Internacional Del Centenario (1910)
- 1910 - London , England - Japan-British Exhibition (1910)
- 1910 - San Francisco, California , United States - Admission Day Festival (1910)
- 1910 - Vienna, Austria - Internationale Jagd-Ausstellung (1910)
- 1911 - Dresden, Germany - International Hygiene Exhibition (1911)
- 1911 - London , England - Coronation Exhibition (1911)
- 1911 - London , England - Festival Of Empire (1911)
- 1911 - Rome, Italy - Esposizione Internazionale D'arte (1911)
- 1911 - Turin, Italy - Esposizione Internazionale Delle Industrie E Del Lavor (1911)
- 1911 - Glasgow, Scotland - Scottish Exhibition, Art And Industry
- 1911 - New York, New York , United States - International Mercantile Exposition (1911)
- 1912 - Manila, Philippines - Philippine Exposition (1912)
- 1912 - London , England - Latin-British Exhibition (1912)
- 1912 - Tokyo, Japan - Grand Exposition Of Japan (1912) (never held)
- 1913 - Ghent, Belgium - Exposition Universelle Et Internationale (1913)
- 1913 - Amsterdam, Netherlands - Tentoonstelling De Vrouw 1813-1913
- 1913 - Knoxville, Tennessee , United States - National Conservation Exposition (1913)
- 1914 - Boulogne-sur-Mer , France - International Exposition Of Sea Fishery Industries (1914)
- 1914 - Cologne, Germany - Werkbund Exposition (1914)
- 1914 - Nottingham, England - Universal Exhibition (1914)
- 1914 - Semarang, Indonesia - Koloniale Tentoonstelling (1914)
- 1914 - Kristiania, Norway - Norges Jubilæumsutstilling (1914)
- 1915 - San Francisco, California , United States - Panama-Pacific International Exposition (1915) Palace Of Fine Arts
- 1915 - San Diego, California , United States - Panama-California Exposition (1915)
- 1915 - Panama City, Panama - Exposición Nacional De Panama (1915)
- 1915 - Richmond, Virginia , United States - Negro Historical And Industrial Exposition (1915)
- 1915 - Chicago, Illinois , United States - Lincoln Jubilee And Exposition (1915)
- 1915 - Washington, DC , United States - National Star-Spangled Banner Centennial Celebration (never held)
- 1917 - San Francisco, California , United States - Allied War Exposition (1917)
- 1918 - New York, New York , United States - Bronx International Exposition Of Science, Arts And Industries (1918)
- 1918 - Chicago , Illinois , United States - Allied War Exposition (1918)
- 1918 - Los Angeles, California , United States - California Liberty Fair (1918)
- 1920 - Shanghai, China - American-Chinese Exposition (1920) (?)
- 1921 - London , England - International Exhibition Of Rubber And Other Tropical Products (1921)
- 1922 - Marseille, France - Exposition Nationale Coloniale (1922)
- 1922 - Tokyo, Japan - Peace Exhibition (1922)
- 1922 - Rio De Janeiro, Rio De Janeiro , Brazil - Exposição Do Centenario Do Brasil (1922)
- 1923 - Los Angeles, California , United States - American Historical Review And Motion Picture Exposition (1923)
- 1923 - Calcutta, India - Calcutta Exhibition (1923) preparatory to British Empire Exhibition
- 1923 - Gothenburg, Sweden - Gothenburg Exhibition (1923) - Industrial Exhibition
- 1924 - Wembley, London, England - British Empire Exhibition
- 1924 - New York, New York , United States - French Exposition (1924)
- 1925 - Lyon, France - Foire (1925)
- 1925 - San Francisco, California , United States - California's Diamond Jubilee (1925)
- 1925 - Dunedin, New Zealand - New Zealand And South Seas International Exhibition (1925)
- 1925 - Paris, France - Exposition Internationale Des Arts Décoratifs Et Industriels Modernes
- 1926 - Philadelphia, Pennsylvania , United States - Sesquicentennial Exposition
- 1926 - Berlin, Germany - Internationale Polizeiausstellung (1926)
- 1927 - Lyon, France - Foire Internationale (1925)
- 1928 - Cologne, Germany - Internationale Presse-Ausstellung (1928)
- 1928 - Long Beach, California , United States - Pacific Southwest Exposition (1928)
- 1929 - Barcelona, Spain , and Seville, Spain - Expo '29 (Exposición Ibero-Americana) or (Spain International Exposition)
- 1929 - Newcastle Upon Tyne , England - North East Coast Exhibition
- 1930 - Antwerp, Belgium - Exposition Internationale Coloniale, Maritime Et D'art Flamand (1930)
- 1930 - Liège, Belgium - Exposition Internationale De La Grande Industrie, Sciences Et Applications, Art Wallon Ancien (1930)
- 1930 - Stockholm , Sweden - Stockholm International Exhibition (1930) (Utställningen av konstindustri, konsthandverk och hemslöjd)
- 1930 - Trondheim, Norway - Tröndelag Exhibition (1930)
- 1931 - Milan, Italy - International Foundry Exhibition And Congress (1931)
- 1931 - Paris, France - Exposition Coloniale Internationale (1931)
- 1931 - Yorktown, Virginia , United States - Yorktown Sesquicentennial (1931)
- 1933 - Chicago , Illinois , United States - Century Of Progress International Exposition
- 1934 - Oporto, Portugal - Exposição Colonial Portuguesa (1934)
- 1934 - Tel Aviv, Israel - Levant Fair (1934)
- 1935 - Brussels, Belgium Exposition Universelle Et Internationale (1935)
- 1935 - San Diego, California , United States - California Pacific International Exposition (1935)
- 1935 - Porto Alegre , Rio Grande Do Sul , Brazil - Exposição Do Centenario Farroupilha (1935)
- 1936 - Johannesburg, South Africa - Empire Exhibition (1936)
- 1936 - Cleveland, Ohio , United States - Great Lakes Exposition
- 1936 - Dallas, Texas , United States - Texas Centennial Central Exposition (1936)
- 1937 - Berlin, Germany - Ausstellung (1937)
- 1937 - Cleveland, Ohio , United States - Great Lakes Exposition
- 1937 - Dallas, Texas , United States - Greater Texas And Pan American Exposition (1937)
- 1937 - Düsseldorf, Germany - Reichsausstellung Schaffendes Volk (1937)
- 1937 - Miami, Florida , United States - Pan American Fair (1937)
- 1937 - Paris, France - Exposition Internationale Des Arts Et Techniques Dans La Vie Moderne (1937)
- 1937 - Nagoya, Japan - Nagoya Pan-Pacific Peace Exposition (1937)
- 1938 - Glasgow, Scotland - Empire Exhibition, Scotland 1938
- 1939 - New York, New York , United States - 1939 New York World's Fair (exhibits included The World Of Tomorrow Futurama Trylon Perisphere )
- 1939 - San Francisco, California , United States - Golden Gate International Exposition
- 1939 - Wellington, New Zealand - New Zealand Centennial Exhibition
- 1939 - Dresden, Germany - Deutsche Kolonial Ausstellung (1939)
- 1939 - Liège, Belgium - Exposition Internationale De L'eau (1939)
- 1939 - Zürich, Switzerland - Schweizerische Landesausstellung (1939)
- 1940 - Lisbon, Portugal - Exposição Do Mundo Português (1940)
- 1940 - Los Angeles, California , United States - Pacific Mercado (1940) (never held)
- 1940 - Naples , Italy - Mostra Triennale Delle Terre Italiane D’Oltremare (Triennial Exhibition of Overseas Italian Territories)
- 1940 - Tokyo, Japan - Grand International Exposition Of Japan (1940) (never held)
- 1942 - Los Angeles, California , United States - Cabrillo Fair (1942) (never held)
- 1942 - Rome, Italy - Esposizione Universale (1942) (never held) (E42)
- 1948 - Brussels, Belgium - Foire Coloniale (1948)
- 1949 - Port-au-Prince, Haiti - Exposition Internationale Du Bicentenaire De Port-au-Prince (1949)
- 1962 - Seattle, Washington , United States - Century 21 Exposition Space Needle
- 1964 - New York, New York , United States - 1964/1965 New York World's Fair (note- not sanctioned by the Bureau International Des Expositions )
- 1967 - Montreal, Quebec , Canada - Expo 67 , (Universal and International Exhibition of 1967) the most successful Fair ever, drawing more than 50 million visitors.
- 1968 - San Antonio, Texas , United States - HemisFair '68
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