In the mid nineteenth century the United States witnessed dynamic technological changes that were brought on by the growth of business and industry. European countries, linked in a competitive capitalistic market with Americans, also experienced technological advances. In 1851 the first modern world's fair, the London Crystal Palace Exhibition, was held to display new discoveries and inventions. American products, while representing a small proportion of the exhibits at the fair, made a strong impression on European visitors. Cyrus McCormick's reaper, Samuel Colt's revolver, Gail Borden's dehydrated "meat biscuit," and Charles Goodyear's vulcanized rubber were some of the most popular American attractions. So successful was the London exhibition that in 1853 the United States hosted its own world's fair in New York City to display the revolutionary pace of American technological progress to visiting Europeans as well as to the American public. Americans and Europeans alike celebrated...