BEIJING, April 24 (Xinhua) -- The World Expo, with a history of 159 years, has developed into the "Olympic Games" in the fields of the world economy, technology and culture.
The expo stepped from Europe to North America, and went on to Asia, reaching every rising country. To host a World Expo not only fully demonstrates a country's development achievements, it also indicates the beginning of a new time period for the global economic structure.
On May 1, 1851, the first World Expo was held in London. Queen Alexandrina Victoria was so astonished at the spectacle of the event when she was escorted to Hyde Park for the opening ceremony that she wrote of her surprise in her diary.
Some historians believe that it was the World Expo in London that raised the curtain on the British Victoria Era, and the Expo itself was an example of the prosperity of the times.
A series of remarkable changes brought about by the Industrial Revolution, such as the universal application of machines and railways and steamboats, became a driving power behind British industries in the mid 19th century
As the economic superpower of the day, Britain became the birthplace of the World Expo and exhibited its strength and charm on the unique stage.
More than 80 years later, the 1933 World Expo in Chicago witnessed the United States and the world's transition from recession to recovery.
President Franklin D. Roosevelt's election that year brought hope to U.S. citizens and the economy.
