Exposition Universelle, Paris, 1878 —
The third world fair hosted by the French capital, the 75-hectare site contained Alexander Graham Bell's telephone, Thomas Edison's megaphone and the colossal head of Frédéric Auguste Bartholdi's not-yet-completed Statue of Liberty. Held in an era of rampant colonialism, there was an ugly side too: the fair included a human zoo containing people indigenous to Tahiti, Senegal and Indochina.
Legacy: Buildings constructed for the expo were sold to the city, although some are no longer standing. However the most visible symbol from the event lies across the Atlantic, waiting to welcome the huddled masses to New York.