Editing Centennial Exposition of 1876 (section)

== Technological Wonders ==

The Centennial Exposition introduced Americans to technologies that would transform daily life in the coming decades. Alexander Graham Bell demonstrated his telephone in the Brazilian pavilion, with Emperor Dom Pedro II famously exclaiming "My God—it talks!" The Remington typewriter made its public debut, pointing toward the mechanization of office work. Thomas Edison displayed his "automatic telegraph" system, a precursor to his later, more famous inventions. George Westinghouse exhibited air brakes for railroad trains, a safety innovation that would become standard. The fair functioned as a showcase for American invention and industrial capability.<ref name="brown"/>

The most spectacular exhibit was the massive Corliss steam engine in Machinery Hall, a 1,500-horsepower behemoth that powered all the machinery in the building through an elaborate system of shafts and belts. President Ulysses S. Grant and Emperor Dom Pedro II together started the engine at the fair's opening ceremony, symbolically launching America's second century. The Corliss engine became the most famous single exhibit at the fair, representing American industrial might made visible and tangible. Visitors stood in awe before its massive cylinders and watched its 56-ton flywheel turn, contemplating the power that was transforming American society.<ref name="post"/>