Script for August 23, 2001
 

All across the country, folks are heading out to county and state fairs. As the amusement and carnival season gets underway, we're stepping right up to check out some language born on the fairgrounds.

Two common terms trace back to one of the most famous fairs of all time: the World's Columbian Exposition of 1893. Held in honor of the 400th anniversary of Christopher Columbus' discovery of America, the wildly successful exposition spread out over more than six hundred acres of Chicago. The site of the Exposition's amusement section was known as "Midway Plaisance"; and ever since, the name midway has been applied to "the avenue at a fair, carnival, or amusement park that features concessions and amusements."

Americans were introduced to the magic of electricity when President Grover Cleveland pressed a button at the White House and turned on the electric lights that powered the Exposition. Dazzled by that spectacle, visitors then had a chance to climb aboard the very first Ferris wheel. Named for its inventor, G.W.G. Ferris, the power-driven ride soon became a fixture at fairs across the nation.

Provided by Tarjomeh.com from  Merriam-Webster Website