1904 - THE GREATEST OF WORLD'S FAIRS IMPRESSIVELY OPENED" The St. Louis Post-Dispatch coverage of "Opening Day" at the Louisiana Purchase Exposition or St. Louis World's Fair by St. Louis Post-Dispatch - 1904

Three complete sections of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch covering opening day activities of the 1904 St. Louis World's Fair, the Louisiana Purchase Exposition. In exceptionally nice shape. Clean and supple with light toning and a single horizontal storage fold; otherwise pristine.

The front page includes a screaming headline, "THE GREATEST OF WORLD'S FAIRS IMPRESSIVELY OPENED / Attendance, Estimated, 200,000; Previous Record, Philadelphia, 186,672," along with large images of David R. Francis and Thomas H. Carter (the president of the exposition and its chief promoter) as well as Secretary of War Howard Taft delivering an opening day oration.

The lead article recounts the crowd's astonishment when the electricity was turned on at 7:30 pm to bath the entire exposition in light. Each subsequent page of the first section contains at least one large illustration accompanied by articles about some of the exhibits and features including "Picturesque Manila," "Giant Patagonians," The Cascades' Illumination," "The Pike," "Camp of the Maccabebe Scouts," "Strange Poples from the Orient," and "The National Chinese Pavilion."

The first page of the "Want Directory" section features a large comic portrayal of Americans from throughout the country as they witnessed the fair's opening and includes a host of smaller articles about "Out of the Ordinary Incidents of Opening Day." In addition to a variety of want ads, this section also includes several illustrated advertisements for Chinese and European Clairvoyants and Palmists. A near-full page advertisement for the Magnetic Springs Sanitarium guarantees "MORPHINE, OPIUM, COCAINE . . . PERMANENTLY CURED IN 10 15 DAYS . . .LIQUOR HABIT-DRUNKENESS-CURED IN ONE WEEK - NO HYPODERMICS USED".

The Sporting Section devotes four illustrated pages to the upcoming Olympic Games to be held in conjunction with the fair, one illustrated page about the fair's $5 million "Auto Parade" and demonstration that will include "ten thousand automobilists in 2500 machines," and a double-page illustrated spread predicting the Cardinals will become the 1904 National League Champions (sorry, but that was not to be for another 22 years)..