My Day at the World's Faire - Lia Evard

Today I learned that the Belle Epoch was a time of peace and prosperity that lasted until World War I began in 1914. This time is sometimes referred to as the Second Industrial Revolution because inventors and engineers once again began to focus more on science and inventions. A major invention of this time was the Telegraph, which was developed in the 1830’s - 1840’s by Samuel Morse. It replaced Flag Signaling and was better because it didn’t depend on line of sight or weather. The system used Morse Code to pass messages along. It was later replaced by the radio, which uses an antenna, transmitter and receiver. Heinrich Hertz, Nikola Tesla, Ernest Alexanderson, and Guglielmo Marconi were important purveyors and advocates for the radio. There radio was exevntually outdated by the development of the modern telephone, which was an invention.

I also learned a lot about the Electrical Grid. In the late 19th century, there were 2 types of electrical grids: the AC and the DC. The AC grid stands for Alternating Current, while the DC Grid stands for Direct Current. The systems greatly impacted society by allowed normally, everyday people to reap the benefits of electrical power. This meant they could now use various inventions and mechanical systems, such as industrial inventions like lightbulbs and electrical motors. 

I really enjoyed learning about the Fine Arts at the World’s Faire. Despite the chaos of this time, a new era of arts was initiated and flourished in the late 19th century. The secularism of the time henoucrages the rise of many new realistic ideas. Art became available to the masses and new middle class finally began to play an important role in art. Monet, Renoir, Manet and Degas lead the impressionist movement. Their general motto was “a joy of life”.