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1756 - London, Great Britain - First Exhibition (1756) sponsored by the Society of Arts
1791 - First industrial exhibition in Prague, Klementinum, considerable sophistication of manufacturing methods.
1798 - Paris, France - L'Exposition publique des produits de l'industrie française. This was the first public industrial exposition in France although earlier in 1798 the Marquis d'Avèze had held a private exposition of handicrafts and manufactured goods at the Maison d'Orsay in the Rue de Varennes and it was this that suggested the idea of a public exposition to François de Neufchâteau, Minister of the Interior for the French Republic.
1801 - Paris, France - Second Exposition. After the success of the exposition of 1798 a series of expositions for French manufacturing followed (1801, 1802, 1806, 1819, 1823, 1827, 1834, 1844 and 1849) until the first properly international (or universal) exposition in France in 1855.
1802 - Paris, France - Third Exposition
1806 - Paris, France - Fourth Exposition
1819 - Paris, France - Fifth Exposition
1823 - Paris, France - Sixth Exposition
1827 - Paris, France - Seventh Exposition
1829 - New York City, United States - American Institute Fair
1829 - Turin, Piedmont-Sardinia - Prima Triennale Pubblica Esposizione dell’anno 1829. In Turin, a second 'triennale' followed in 1832 before other national agricultural, industrial, commercial, and applied arts expositions there in 1838, 1844, 1850 and 1858
1832 - Turin, Piedmont-Sardinia - Seconda Triennale Pubblica Esposizione dell’anno 1832.
1833 - Kolkata, India - Calcutta International Exhibition
1834 - Paris, France - Eighth Exposition
1838 - Turin, Piedmont-Sardinia - Pubblica esposizione dell'anno 1838.
1839 - Paris, France - Ninth Exposition
1844 - Paris, France - French Industrial (Tenth) Exposition of 1844
1844 - Turin, Piedmont-Sardinia - Quarto Esposizione d'Industria et di Belle Arti
1846 - Genoa, Piedmont-Sardinia - Esposizione dei Prodotti e delle Manufatture nazionale
1849 - Birmingham, United Kingdom - Exposition of British Society
1849 - United Kingdom - First Exhibition of British Manufacturers
1849 - Paris, France - Eleventh Exposition
1850 - Turin, Piedmont-Sardinia - Quinta Esposizione di Industria e di Belle Arti
1851 - London, United Kingdom - The Great Exhibition of the Works of Industry of All Nations - The Crystal Palace (typically listed as the "first world's fair")
1852 - Cork, United Kingdom - Irish Industrial Exhibition
1853-1854 - New York, United States - Exhibition of the Industry of All Nations
1853 - Dublin, United Kingdom - Great Industrial Exhibition
1854 - Genoa, Piedmont-Sardinia - Esposizione Industriale
1854 - Munich, Bavaria - Allgemeine deutsche Industrie-Ausstellung
1854 - Melbourne, Victoria - Melbourne Exhibition (in conjunction with Exposition Universelle (1855))
1855 - Paris, France - Exposition Universelle
1857 - Manchester, United Kingdom - Art Treasures Exhibition at the Royal Botanical Gardens, Stretford
1858 - Turin, Sardinia - Sesta Esposizione Nazionale di Prodotti d'Industria.
1861 - Metz, France - Exposition Universelle
1862 - London, United Kingdom - International Exhibition
1865 - Dublin, United Kingdom - Dublin International Exhibition
1867 - Paris, France - Exposition Universelle
1870 - Sydney, New South Wales - Intercolonial Exhibition
1871 - London, United Kingdom - First Annual International Exhibition
1872 - London, United Kingdom - Second Annual International Exhibition
1872 - Lima, Peru - Exposicion Internacional
1872 - Lyon, France - Exposition Universelle et Internationale
1872 - Kyoto, Japan - Exhibition of Arts and Manufactures
1873 - London, United Kingdom - Third Annual International Exhibition
1873 - Vienna, Austria-Hungary - Weltausstellung - Wien
1873 - Sydney, New South Wales - Metropolitan Intercolonial Exhibition
1874 - London, United Kingdom - Fourth Annual International Exhibition (1874)
1874 - Dublin, United Kingdom - International Exhibition of Arts and Manufactures
1874 - Rome, Italy - Esposizione internazionale (never held)
1875 - Melbourne, Victoria - Victorian Intercolonial Exhibition
1875 - Nizhni Novgorod, Russia - Nizhni Novgorod Fair
1875 - Sydney, New South Wales - Intercolonial Exhibition
1875 - Santiago, Chile - Exposición Internacional de Chile
1876 - Philadelphia, United States - Centennial Exposition
1876 - Brisbane, Queensland - Intercolonial Exhibition
1877 - Cape Town, Cape Colony - South African International Exhibition
1877 - Tokyo, Japan - First National Industrial Exhibition (Ueno Park)
1878 - Paris, France - Exposition Universelle
1878 - Ballarat, Victoria - Australian Juvenile Industrial Exhibition
1879 - Sydney, New South Wales - Sydney International Exhibition
1879 - Melbourne, Victoria - Intercolonial Juvenile Industrial Exhibition
1880-1881 - Melbourne, Victoria - Melbourne International Exhibition
1881 - Paris, France - International Exposition of Electricity, Paris
1881 - Atlanta, United States - International Cotton Exposition
1881 - Budapest, Austria-Hungary - Országos Nőipari Kiállitás
1882 - Bordeaux, France - Exposition internationale des vins
1882 - Buenos Aires, Argentina - Exposición Continental Sud-Americana
1883 - Boston, United States - The American Exhibition of the Products, Arts and Manufactures of Foreign Nations
1883 - Amsterdam, Netherlands - Internationale Koloniale en Uitvoerhandel Tentoonstelling (International Colonial and Export Exhibition)
1883 - Calcutta, India - Calcutta International Exhibition
1883 - Parramatta, New South Wales - Intercolonial Juvenile Industrial Exhibition
1883 - Louisville, United States - Southern Exposition
1883 - New York City, United States - World's Fair (1883) (never held)
1884 - New Orleans, United States - World Cotton Centennial (New Orleans Universal Exposition and World's Fair), (World's Industrial and Cotton Centennial Exhibition), (New Orleans Centennial)
1884 - Melbourne, Victoria - Victorian International Exhibition of Wine, Fruit, Grain & other products of the soil of Australasia with machinery, plant and tools employed
1884 - Edinburgh, United Kingdom - First International Forestry Exhibition
1884 - Turin, Italy - Esposizione Generale Italiana
1885 - Melbourne, Victoria - Victorians' Jubilee Exhibition (Jubilee of Victoria Exhibition)
1885 - Antwerp, Belgium - Exposition Universelle d'Anvers
1885 - Wellington, New Zealand - New Zealand Industrial Exhibition
1885 - New Orleans, United States - The World Industrial & Cotton Centennial Exposition (1885)
1885 - London, United Kingdom - International Inventions Exhibition
1886 - London, United Kingdom - Colonial and Indian Exhibition (1886)
1886 - Edinburgh, United Kingdom - International Exhibition of Industry, Science and Art
1886 - Liverpool, United Kingdom - International Exhibition of Navigation, Commerce and Industry
1887-1888 - Adelaide, South Australia - Adelaide Jubilee International Exhibition
1887 - Atlanta, Piedmont Exposition
1887 - Geelong, Victoria - Geelong Jubilee Juvenile and Industrial Exhibition
1887 - London, United Kingdom - American Exhibition
1887 - Rome, Italy - Esposizione mondiale
1888-1889 - Melbourne, Victoria - Victorian Juvenile Industrial Exhibition
1888 - Philadelphia, Pennsylvania - Centennial International Exhibition
1888 - Glasgow, United Kingdom - International Exhibition
1888 - Brussels, Belgium - Grand Concours International des Sciences et de l'Industrie
1888 - Barcelona, Spain - Exposición Universal de Barcelona
1888 - Lisbon, Portugal - Exposição Industrial Portugueza
1888 - Copenhagen, Denmark - The Nordic Exhibition of (Nordiske Industri-Landbrugs og Kunstudstilling)
1889 - Paris, France - Exposition Universelle - Eiffel Tower
1889 - Dunedin, New Zealand - New Zealand and South Seas Exhibition
1889 - Buffalo, United States - International Industrial Fair
1890 - Bremen, Germany - Nord-West-Deutsche Gewerbe und Industrie-Ausstellung
1891 - Moscow, Russia - Exposition française
1891 - Frankfurt, Germany - International Electro-Technical Exhibition
1891 - Kingston, Jamaica - International Exhibition
1891 - Prague, Austria-Hungary - General Land Centennial Exhibition at the Prague Exhibition Grounds
1891-1892 - Launceston, Tasmania - Tasmanian International Exhibition
1892 - Genoa, Italy - Esposizione Italo-Americana
1892 - Madrid, Spain - Exposición Histórico-Americana
1892 - Washington, DC, United States - Exposition of the Three Americas (never held)
1893 - Chicago, United States - World's Columbian Exposition - Palace of Fine Arts and the World's Congress Auxiliary Building
1893 - Kimberley, Cape Colony - South Africa and International Exhibition (1893)
1893 - New York City, United States - World's Fair Prize Winners' Exposition
1894 - San Francisco, United States - California Midwinter International Exposition
1894 - Antwerp, Belgium - Exposition Internationale d'Anvers
1894 - Lyons, France - Exposition internationale
1894 - Oporto, Portugal - Exposição Insular e Colonial Portugueza
1895 - Hobart, Tasmania - Tasmanian International Exhibition
1895 - Ballarat, Victoria - Australian Industrial Exhibition
1895 - Atlanta, United States - Cotton States and International Exposition (Atlanta Exposition)
1896 - Berlin, Germany - Gewerbe-Ausstellung
1896 - Mexico City, Mexico - International Exposition (never held)
1897 - Brussels, Belgium - Exposition Internationale de Bruxelles
1897 - Guatemala City, Guatemala - Exposición Centro-Americana
1897 - Brisbane, Queensland - Queensland International Exhibition
1897 - Chicago, United States - Irish Fair
1897 - Nashville, United States - Tennessee Centennial and International Exposition
1897 - Stockholm, Sweden - Allmänna konst- och industriutställningen
1898 - Jerusalem, Ottoman Empire - Universal Scientific and Philanthropic Exposition
1898 - Dunedin, New Zealand - Otago Jubilee Industrial Exhibition
1898 - Omaha, United States - Trans-Mississippi Exposition
1898 - Bergen, Norway - International Fisheries Exposition
1898 - Munich, Germany - Kraft- und Arbeitsmaschinen-Ausstellung
1898 - San Francisco, United States - California's Golden Jubilee
1898 - Turin, Italy - Esposizione Generale Italiana
1898 - Vienna, Austria-Hungary - Jubiläums-Ausstellung
1899 - Coolgardie, Western Australia - Western Australian International Mining and Industrial Exhibition
1899 - Omaha, Nebraska, United States - Greater America Exposition
1899 - Philadelphia, United States - National Export Exposition
1899 - London, United Kingdom - Greater Britain Exhibition
1900 - Paris, France - Exposition Universelle - Le Grand Palais
1900 - Adelaide, South Australia - Century Exhibition of Arts and Industries