| Existing comment:
World's fairs, which originally arose to celebrate the Industrial Revolution, were a continuing force in the development of MHT. While the 1876 Philadelphia Centennial provided the foundation for the Museum's technological collections, the New York World's Fair of 1964 reinforced its themes of technological progress and inspired its forward-looking exhibition style. MHT's creators envisioned it as a sort of permanent world's fair. The Museum and the Fair also displayed a similar nationalist spirit. |