The model for these exhibitions began to change in 1933, when America and Europe were struggling to pull out of the Great Depression. Chicago held a world's fair named the "Century of Progress Exhibition" that documented technological inventions and innovations, portraying them as a prime force behind human advance and social development.
當時歐美才從第一次的經濟大蕭條中逐漸復甦，在美國芝加哥舉行的世博會於是將主題定調為「一個世紀的進步」，明確指出科技發明及創新，是今後人類進步及社會發展的主要動力。