Britain's Great Exhibition of the Works of Industry of all Nations took place from May 1 to Oct. 11, 1851. Intended to showcase the industrial and cultural products of the world, it drew exhibitors and visitors from across the globe.
The exhibition was housed in a vast iron and glass building constructed specifically for that purpose inLondon’s Hyde Park — the "Crystal Palace.” Stretching 1,851 feet long and 128 feet high, it was built around several elm trees to prevent them from being cut down.
Queen Victoria performed the opening ceremony, and the exhibition was an immediate success, ultimately welcoming over 6 million visitors.
On display were 13,000 exhibits from Britain, its colonies and other countries from acrossthe globe, includingthe largest diamond in the world, the 186-carat Koh-i-Noor diamond.
Samuel Colt demonstrated several of his revolvers, Frederick Bakewell showed off an early fax machine, and oneGeorge Merryweather debuted his "Tempest Prognosticator," a barometer that used leecheskept in bottles of rainwater. According to Merryweather, the leeches would ascend a tube at theapproach of a storm, and in doing so ring a warning bell.
After the six-month exhibition, the palace was deconstructed and rebuilt in South London, though in a new form. The reconstituted building remained a major landmark from 1854 until 1936, when it burned down.
