Author Talk: Zach Brodt

In this presentation, based on his recent book From the Steel City to the White City, Zachary Brodt will explore Western Pennsylvania’s representation at Chicago’s Columbian Exposition, the first major step in demonstrating that Pittsburgh was more than simply America’s crucible—it was also a region of developing culture and innovation. The 1893 Columbian Exposition presented a chance for the United States to prove to the world that it was an industrial giant ready to become a global superpower. The Chicago fairgrounds provided an opportunity for area companies to display the region’s many products and exposed thousands of Western Pennsylvanians to the White City and its offerings. While Pittsburgh’s most famous contributions to the 1893 World’s Fair—alternating current electricity and the Ferris wheel—had a lasting impact on the United States and the world, other exhibits provided a snapshot of the area’s industries, natural resources, and inventions. Brodt will explore how the success of these exhibits and the experiences of Pittsburghers at the exposition launched Western Pennsylvania into the twentieth century.

Zachary Brodt is the University Archivist and Records Manager for the University of Pittsburgh Library System and the author of From the Steel City to the White City: Western Pennsylvania and the World’s Columbian Exposition. He has previously published articles about the 1892 Homestead Steel Strike and Pitt’s hiring of Jonas Salk, among other topics. He is also a council member of the Pennsylvania Historical Association.