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Forty-seven years ago today, the Century 21 Exposition opened its doors to the public. You’re probably saying, “The what?” I would be, anyway, if I hadn’t researched this – the Century 21 Exposition was also known as the Seattle World’s Fair. So, in honor of the historic event that gave us the Space Needle, we’re going to check out 10 notable World’s Fairs today.
1. The 1962 Seattle World’s Fair is why the Space Needle was built, obviously, but it’s also notable for another reason – it’s where the Elvis flick It Happened at the World’s Fair was filmed and marked the screen debut of Kurt Russell. The Seattle Center Monorail was also created just for the Century 21 Exposition.
2. The 1964 World’s Fair in New York was where Walt Disney tested his latest creation out on the public – a little boat ride filled with animatronic dolls singing in various languages. I bet you know what I’m talking about, but I’ll refrain from mentioning it by name lest you get the infernal tune stuck in your head for the rest of the day. But that’s not all – this was also the Fair with “Great Moments with Mr. Lincoln,” which featured a speech-giving Honest Abe so real you’d almost swear it was him. A version of the attraction popped up at Disneyland and has been there in some form or another ever since. Well, almost ever since. It has been replaced a time or two with different attractions such as “The Walt Disney Story,” but the public rallied to get Mr. Lincoln back and Disney listened. Abe is on vacation right now, letting “Disneyland: The First 50 Magical Years” lease out his Disneyland condo, but he’ll be back in September of this year.
3. The Panama-Pacific International Exposition was held in San Francisco in 1915. There were a couple of reasons to celebrate: the Panama Canal had recently been completed, but the city had been devastated by an earthquake nine years earlier and wanted to show how it had successfully rebounded. Exhibits included a telephone line that went from New York to San Francisco so people on the east coast could hear the Pacific Ocean. And the Liberty Bell was packed up from its resting place in Pennsylvania and shipped over to California just to make a special guest appearance at the International Exposition. It was sent back to Philly afterward and hasn’t budged since. Like Seattle, this Fair was also the subject of a film: Mabel and Fatty Viewing the World’s Fair at San Francisco. It starred Mabel Normand and Fatty Arbuckle seeing the sights and clowning around.
4. The Pan-American Exposition of 1901 in Buffalo, N.Y., was notable for not for its amazing inventions and innovations, but because it was the site of the shooting of President William McKinley. Leon Czolgosz met McKinley in the Temple of Music (pictured), where the President was shaking hands with the public. An X-Ray machine that would have located the bullet lodged somewhere in McKinley’s back muscles was on display at the Fair, but it had only just been invented and doctors were scared to use it on the President without knowing its side effects. Any of them would surely have been better than his resulting death, but I guess hindsight is 20/20.
5. Expo ’70, a World’s Fair in Osaka, Japan, was one of the biggest and most successful World’s Fairs ever held. One of the most popular exhibits on display was a moon rock brought back just months before from the 1969 Apollo 11 expedition. Expo ’70 also touted the first IMAX movie ever created.
6. Much like the 1915 San Francisco Fair, the World’s Columbian Exposition of 1893 was held in Chicago because the city had something to prove: that Mrs. O’Leary’s cow couldn’t keep them down. The grounds were designed by Frederick Law Olmstead, the same guy who did Central Park (and lots of other parks and campuses). The layout and the building design were so impressive and gorgeous that it’s thought L. Frank Baum used it as inspiration for the Emerald City. It was also the first time people saw and rode on a Ferris Wheel and included exhibits by Nikola Tesla and Thomas Edison. John Phillip Sousa’s marching band was a daily feature. Food that debuted at this particular Fair included Cracker Jack, Juicy Fruit gum and Cream of Wheat. It would have a been an awesomely successful Fair if it hadn’t ended in tragedy – Chicago mayor Carter Harrison was assassinated. Although it was in his home and not at the Fair, he was a much-beloved mayor and his death shook up Chicagoans pretty badly.
7. Just as the Seattle World’s Fair gave us the Space Needle, Paris’ Exposition Universelle of 1889 gave us the Eiffel Tower. If you were there in 1889, you also would have seen Buffalo Bill’s Wild West Show featuring Annie Oakley.
8. Just 11 years later, the Exposition Universelle came back to Paris and the city really put on the dog. The buildings erected for the expo were so impressive and beautiful that many of them still stand today – the Musée d’Orsay, the Grand Palais, the Gare de Lyon and the Petit Palais among them. The Summer Olympics were also being held at the same time and were considered part of the Fair, just in case the new inventions of escalators and movies with sound weren’t enough for you. And if you’ve ever noticed the gold seal that adorns the front of Campbell’s soup cans, here’s a bit of trivia for you: it was awarded this seal at this particular World’s Fair.
9. On May 1, 1851, Queen Victoria proudly announced the opening of the Great Exhibition in London. Art and architecture students will know this for the construction of the Crystal Palace (you can tell I’m a student of neither because my first thought is of the buffet at the Magic Kingdom). The Crystal Palace housed the Great Exhibition and its designer was later knighted for his amazing contribution. Sadly, the Crystal Palace was the victim of fire in 1936. This Fair was wildly successful, perhaps in part to the Palace. More than six million people showed up, which was about a third of Britain’s population at the time. It was so profitable that the surplus went to found the Victoria and Albert Museum, the Science Museum and the Natural History Museum. Notable events included a yachting race that eventually evolved into the America’s Cup, the display of the Koh-i-noor Diamond and the exhibition showing the Jacquard Loom.
10. Knoxville, Tenn., was home to the 1982 World’s Fair, which turned a profit of a whopping $57. But hey, most World’s Fairs lose money, so at least they had that going for them. It’s notable for debuting inventions such as Cherry Coke, boxed milk and touch-screen technology, but what I’m particularly excited about is the giant, rotating Rubik’s Cube Hungary sent over. The puzzle toy had swept the nation and Hungary was proud that the inventor was one of their own. After decaying for the past 25 years, a junior in engineering at the University of Tennessee took its restoration on as a project. The 10-foot, 1,200-pound toy is now restored to its former glory for tourists to enjoy. The Knoxville Fair was also home to the Sunsphere, which Simpsons fans will remember from the episode where Bart, Martin, Nelson and Milhouse rely on an outdated guidebook for vacation tips and choose the World’s Fair instead of Disneyworld. Photo from Joel K. on Roadside America.
Have any of you actually been to a World’s Fair? I feel like I kind of missed their heyday and I’m a little bummed about it, so it would be great if I could just live vicariously through you.
Comments (29)
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What about the St. Louis World’s Fair in 1914? They brought in around 1,000 Filipino natives, had them build traditional dwellings, and then simply left them there after the Fair was over. It was the first settlement of Filipino’s in the US.
posted by Liz on 4-21-2009 at 5:03 pm
When I was 8 I went to the 1982 Fair in Knoxville. I remember being really hot and eating lots of hot dogs with Koops mustard. That and waiting in a long line to see part of the great wall of China.
I remember it being loads of fun, but I don’t recall many specifics. Oddly enough, we stopped there on the way back from Disneyworld. (Odd in its similarity to the Simpson’s reference.)
posted by Alan on 4-21-2009 at 5:15 pm
Interesting article, thanks!
In the spirit of Flosser accuracy, please correct the typo near the end of #9. I’m sure the yachting race “evolved” into the America’s Cup, not “involved”.
posted by frodopal on 4-21-2009 at 5:25 pm
I was at Expo 86 in Vancouver, and still have a ton of souvenirs. It was such a blast, being a kid an seeing all of the pavillions and going on the rides. Such a great experience and only wish I was a little older at the time so I could have seen all of the great bands that played shows there at night. If you ever travel to Vancouver, you can still see many park benches and older pavillion buildings around, especially at the Playland/ PNE fairgrounds.
My mom worked worked the ‘67 Expo in Montreal as well as the Vancouver Expo. She was a flight attendant for Air Canada, and was a representative and hostess for the company’s pavillion.
posted by Jen on 4-21-2009 at 5:25 pm
I still got that infernal tune stuck in my head, thank you very much. :)
posted by Eric on 4-21-2009 at 5:28 pm
I had my nose broken by the back half of Barkley the Dog at Expo ‘86 in Vancouver. There were other things about Expo86 that would probably give you more of a flavor of the event, but let me tell you, that’s the part I remember most.
posted by Jacquilynne on 4-21-2009 at 5:30 pm
I went to the World’s Fair in New Orleans in 1984 when I was 3. According to Wikipedia, the fair was a flop and the last one held in the United States.
What I remember was the gondola ride across the Mississippi River. (See the link in my name for more about it). The day we were on it was stormy, the carriage was rocking back and forth and my brother and I were attached to our mother’s legs for safety. My dad thought it would be funny to pull the cord at the top of the carriage. He knew it only opened a little window. We didn’t and thought we were going to plunge into the river. To this day gondolas have freaked me out.
posted by Lindsey on 4-21-2009 at 6:01 pm
If you’re interested in state fairs, architecture or serial killers(!), read the book “Devil in the White City,” about the 1893 World’s Columbian Exposition in Chicago. It’s about a serial killer who preyed on women who came to the city for the fair, and though they never truly figured out who it was, the author did a lot of research to write this novel, and it sort of comes across as non-fiction.
posted by taylor on 4-21-2009 at 6:09 pm
Having attended Washington University in St. Louis, I learned a good deal about the World’s Fair there in 1904. The ice cream cone is said to have its start at the fair. You can’t forget “Meet Me in St. Louis,” the musical with the World’s Fair and Judy Garland.
I do have a tale in which I live vicariously through a friend who was born around the year 1904. My friend Emma told me that her Father and Aunt went to the fair (quite the journey for them in a horse drawn carriage) on a particularly gray afternoon in their Sunday best. The two were enjoying the Fair when it began to rain. Her Father came home flustered because his best hat was ruined!
posted by Cass on 4-21-2009 at 6:49 pm
I attended the biggest of them all, Expo 67 in Montreal. 50 million people went that summer to a fair that featured motion picture innovations, among others. The US erected a giant Buckminster Fuller Dome as its pavilion, a building that still stands on the artificial island in the St. Lawrence that was created for the fair. It was a fabulous show.
posted by Michael Cross on 4-21-2009 at 7:00 pm
Taylor-
“The Devil in the White City” IS non-fiction.
posted by Wendy on 4-21-2009 at 7:37 pm
I live in Vancouver and was 7 years old at the time of Expo 86. My mom used to take me out of school for the day to take me to the Fair, thinking I’d get more of an education at the Fair than in school. Besides, I could already read and write English and French, so I wasn’t missing much at school…
At any rate, I remember the awesome buildings and the huge amounts of people. My favourite building is a huge geodesic dome, that now houses a science museum. It’s fantastic.
posted by Meghan on 4-21-2009 at 7:42 pm
I was 6 in 1964 when the Worlds Fair was in Flushing Meadows. My dad used to make deliveries to one of the restaurants there. He was allowed to drive through the park at night to make the deliveries. The dancing fountains, Futurama and Dinoland were some of my favorites.
My family and I went to Montreal in 67. It was called Expo ‘67 and Man and his World. It was really crowded. My mom was upset because we had missed Ed Sullivan by a day.
My first visit to New Orleans was in October 1984. I was there for the last three days of the World’s Fair. A college friend had worked there; every night we came home with boxes of souvenirs, trinkets and memorabilia.
posted by Sue on 4-21-2009 at 9:29 pm
We St. Lousians are quite proud of our 1904 World’s Fair (some say to a fault…) and even tho my grandmother attended as a child, I have no clever anecdotes about her experience.
However, Forest Park is home to the St. Louis Art Museum and Art Hill, one of the few structures still around from the Fair. (most others were made of plaster of paris and not meant to be permanent structures). There was an enormous ferris wheel, as well. Legend has it that the axel is buried somewhere in the park, tho no one has located it. The Olympics were also held in STL in 1904–the first time the modern games were held in the USA.
posted by Marty on 4-21-2009 at 10:57 pm
I was going to mention the one held in St. Louis, but i see some people have got that covered.
posted by Kara S. on 4-22-2009 at 12:15 am
my dad visited the worlds fair in NY in the 60’s and they had the mona lisa in display and the pieta, he was upset with the mona lisa cause it was too small for his expectations but the pieta was all worth it he says
posted by alejandra on 4-22-2009 at 2:22 am
I lived in Fresh Meadows, a few miles from the 1964 NY World’s Fair. My father was an ironworker and helped assemble the Unisphere and various other buildings. When the fair closed he was also employed to remove the buildings.
posted by Richard on 4-22-2009 at 9:12 am
The Musee d’Orsay was actually built as the Gare d’Orsay, a railway station, in 1900 The current museum is a renovation dating from the 1980s.
posted by steve on 4-22-2009 at 9:17 am
You also left out the 1933 and 1934 Century of Progress in Chicago. The lights were turned on at the start of the fair when light from Arcturus triggered an electronic eye. Arcturus was chosen because it was 40 light years away and the light would have left the star when the previous Chicago World’s Fair was taking place.
It also had a midget village, populated by many who would go on to have roles in The Wizard of Oz.
The fair was so successful that they decided to continue it for a second year.
posted by Steven on 4-22-2009 at 9:56 am
Nothing about the TWO World’s Fairs held in 1939??? The New York World’s fair marked the end of pre-WWII international optimism for peace, and the San Francisco Golden Gate International Exposition was held on Treasure Island, which was created specifically for the fair. It was the only time I know of where TWO World’s Fairs were competing for attendance and world attention.
posted by airship on 4-22-2009 at 10:56 am
San Antonio had a World’s Fair in 1968. It was called Hemisfair. It was a blast. John Denver performed there before he became John Denver. Our city still has many buildings from the fair including the Tower of the Americas, a landmark in our skyline.
posted by Alice on 4-22-2009 at 11:17 am
I wonder if Liz has actually seen photos of the Filipino’s in the St. Louis 1904 worlds fair. The Filipinos that were brought over were a tribe of negritos from one of the smaller islands in the archipelago. They were not from Luzon or one of the bigger islands. The people brought over were not of Chinese, English, Malay or Spanish decent. It was the equivalent of bringing a hidden tribe of people from the amazon, having them represent all of South America and then putting the tribe in a zoo for all the civilized world to stare. My great-grandparents and grandparents were nothing like the Filipino’s in the exhibit.
posted by Sandra on 4-22-2009 at 11:21 am
I live in knoxville,tn & you can go up in the sunsphere -it is amazing -adds character to the city
posted by helen on 4-22-2009 at 12:29 pm
Yay Knoxville! I was 2 years old when I went to this World’s Fair with my parents. One of my friend’s dad was a beer distributor for the event. They still have cases of World’s Fair Beer in their basement. Mmm…delicious?!
posted by Allison on 4-22-2009 at 1:46 pm
My family had just moved to Bayside Queens when the 1964 Worlds fair was open. My oldest brother, who was 12 took my middle brother, who was 8, to the fair on the bus. They bought my mother a present. A tropical plant that looked like a stick.
A different world it was, where a 12yo could take an 8yo out for the day like that.
I now live about a mile from the grounds.
posted by Hannah on 4-22-2009 at 1:52 pm
Not only was the 1933 World’s Fair in Chicago left out, but it was host to Major League Baseball’s first All-Star game, not intended to be an annual event, but played because of the fair.
posted by Wayne on 4-22-2009 at 2:22 pm
I went to the World’s Fair in Knoxville in 1982. I was 7 years old. When I clicked on this article, I was hoping to see that big Rubik’s Cube! Thanks bringing a big smile to my face today!
posted by Erin on 4-22-2009 at 7:56 pm
my parents met at the 62 worlds fair. he was running a hot dog stand there.
posted by duke on 4-24-2009 at 2:55 am
There are so many world’s fairs to include in such a list. The largest world’s fair in history is in 2010 in Shanghai.
I have a really large list of world’s fairs at my site, ExpoMuseum.com.
posted by Urso Chappell on 7-31-2009 at 3:29 pm