History
The first Eastern States Exposition occurred in 1917. It was originally conceived by Joshua L. Brooks as a way to help bolster the region's farming industry. The Exposition featured displays of innovations in the industry, and held contests designed to encourage farmers to better themselves through competition. Since the first Exposition, only World War I and World War II, during which the military requisitioned the grounds as storage depots, have interrupted the annual tradition.
The fair was first titled "The Big E" in 1968 and remains true to its agricultural roots today, with more than 7,100 4-H and FFA participants, and 1,100 open show exhibitors, as well as educational displays and attractions.
Read more about this topic: The Big E
Famous quotes containing the word history:
“Every literary critic believes he will outwit history and have the last word.”
—Mason Cooley (b. 1927)
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—Oscar Wilde (1854–1900)
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But what experience and history teach is this—that peoples and governments have never learned anything from history, or acted on principles deduced from it.”
—Georg Wilhelm Friedrich Hegel (1770–1831)