Carnival of Genealogy, 80th EditionThe 1964 New York World’s Fair

The subject of this edition of the Carnival of Genealogy is “Family Fun.”  We were challenged to research an event our ancestor may have attended.  I chose the 1964 New York World’s Fair.  My parents and both grandmothers attended this fair, and my parents spoke about it often.  The Fair was held in Flushing Meadows Corona Park in the borough of Queens.  The Fair opened on 22 April 1964, and ran for two six-month seasons ending on 17 October 1965.  The Fair called itself a “universal and international exposition”, and covered a distance of one square mile of land.  The Fair’s theme was “Peace Through Understanding” dedicated to “Man’s Achievement on a Shrinking Globe in an Expanding Universe.”  Catchy name, huh?  A twelve-story high stainless-steel model of the earth, named Unisphere, was built to represent this theme of global interdependence (see photo below).

The Fair had exhibits of corporations, countries, states, cities, and space themes, among others.  One of the more popular exhibits was the Vatican pavilion where Michelangelo’s Pietà was displayed.  Walt Disney’s “It’s a Small World” was another favored exhibit, which was eventually rebuilt as an attraction at Disney World in Orlando, Florida.  General Motors Corporation’s Futurama show, in which visitors seated in moving chairs glided past detailed scenery showing what life might be like in the “near-future” was the most popular of all the exhibits at the Fair.  There were a total of 140 exhibits in all, and quite a few of them remind me of Disney World, with audio-animatronics and moving exhibits and theaters.

The Fair was attended by more than 51 million people, but that was short of the 70 million the organizers had hoped for in order to turn a profit.  That caused a 5-year controversy with allegations of financial mismanagement, in which investors only received 10 cents on the dollar for their investments.  Most of the exhibits were just taken down within six months of the closing of the fair, however some were moved to new locations across the USA to be reused or re-purposed.  All in all, the Fair is best remembered as a showcase of mid-twentieth century American culture and technology.

This is a view of the Fair as seen from the observation towers in the New York State pavilion.  The large model of the earth is the Unisphere.

7 Replies to “Carnival of Genealogy, 80th EditionThe 1964 New York World’s Fair”

  1. Carol:

    This is a "you are there" moment.

    I was there and thought it was amazing. My Grandmother ran the Lutheran Pavilion and we spent time in her office.

    And then there was a boy. The Vice Consulate General of Persia's (Iran) son who was in this country on a basketball scholarship at the University of Oklahoma. We wrote to each other for some time.

    Thanks for bringing back those memories.

    -fM

  2. Thanks for the note. I would love to see pictures from the Fair, if you have any. Sounds like you ahd a great time there!

    Carol

  3. Mary Meier says:

    Mary 'Bub' Meier said…

    I attended the NY World's Fair with my family and remember it well.

    Fri Sep 18 at 6:46am

  4. Andrea Rediger says:

    Andrea Rediger said…

    My parents took my brothers to that World's Fair and I stayed with my grandparents. I'm not sure I have forgiven them even though I seriously doubt whether I would have been old enough to remember anything.

    Wed Sep 16 at 9:01am CDT

  5. Carol Genung says:

    I was sort of there – my Mom was pregnant with me when she went.

    Wed Sep 16 at 5:36pm CDT

  6. Steve says:

    Carol,

    Thanks for the memories! I wasn't at the fair myself, but my father gave my sisters and me souvenirs from the fair. I wrote about those souvenirs about two years ago on my own blog: http://stephendanko.com/blog/index.php/archives/2094

    Steve

  7. Family Tree says:

    The fast, free, fun way to create your family tree with your relatives and stay in touch.

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