Lentorama 2023: It Happened on Holy Saturday

Day 38: Fair achievements

The Paris World Exhibition official opened on Saturday, April 14, 1900, and would run through November, with an estimated 50 million visitors (though it's not clear if that includes people who went to related events, such as the 1900 Olympics). Two things of note from the fair:

* It was for the fair that Michelin published its first guide, though it was more to spur the sale of tires than to direct patrons to the best restaurants. The guide included information on tire repair, the location of garages and gas stations, and road maps.

* The fair was also the debut for the step-type escalator. Previous escalators were more of a conveyor belt with slats or other attachments riders could use for traction. 

The fair also prompted the building of the Gare d'Orsay train station (now the Musee d'Orsay) and Line 1 of the Paris Metro, among other things that may be more important than the escalator.