For seven months in 1904, St. Louis was the most famous city on earth. Millions of people traveled to the Louisiana Purchase Exposition to experience the inventions of the early 20th century, such as electric lights, automobiles, aircraft, and moving pictures. During a time when few traveled more than a short distance from their home, visitors encountered the people and cultures of foreign lands. It was an educational experience, a "university of mankind."

The Pike had amusement rides, wild animal displays, and whimsical trips through the Hereafter and Creation exhibits. Fairgoers visited the Alps, the North Pole, Russia, and Paris and witnessed famous battles while at the Fair. Everyone wanted to ride the enormous Observation Wheel. There were wonderful new foods, such as the ice cream cone. But it was all temporary, a dream city made to last only a few months. With the exception of today's St. Louis Art Museum, the grand palaces are gone. St. Louis: The 1904 World's Fair tells the story of the greatest Victorian-era world's fair since the lights of the fair faded over a century ago, while also examining the fair's legacies and legends.