"Titanic" exhibit returns to Chicago area on Friday
CHICAGO (CBS) -- Hundreds of thousands of people saw it and it was so popular, that there was a second exhibit a couple of years later.
Now, the Titanic exhibit is coming back to Chicago with a special connection to that original show.
More than 20 years ago, the ship that was supposed to be unsinkable made a big splash in Chicago with a blockbuster exhibit at the Museum of Science and Industry.
More than 860,000 people came to see that exhibition in seven months. Tom Zaller said he brought that exhibit to Chicago back then.
"My first exhibition. Forever ingrained in my mind in this industry for the past 25 years," Zaller said.
Now he's bringing a new Titanic exhibit to the Westfield Old Orchard Shopping Center opening on Friday.
He gave CBS 2 a behind-the-scenes tour as crews were still setting it up.
It's a new exhibit, complete with artifacts from the Titanic and her sister ships as well as recreations designed to make you feel like you're on the ship.
But Zaller said it's not just the boat that's fascinating. It's the people who were on it and their stories.
"It's every man's story. It's the story of hopes and dreams. It's a hopeful story, even though it was struck with tragedy. It was about people's hopes and dreams of going to a new country," Zaller said.
The exhibit opens to the public Friday.