The New York World's Fair

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The 1964-1965 New York World's Fair was a major travel attraction in the mid-1960s. The fair's optimistic theme was "Peace Through Understanding" with a further dedication to Man's Achievements on a Shrinking Globe in an Expanding Universe." There were many international pavilions to visit, though the majority of exhibitors were US industrial corporations. The industrial exhibits all showed what consumer wonders were just around the corner. Accordingly, Westinghouse sponsored a Time Capsule II in parallel with its Time Capsule from 1939-1940.

We took the New York Subway out to the Flushing Meadows fairgrounds in Queens. The subway ride was every bit as exciting as the fair! My mother had been to the previous New York World's Fair in 1940. The symbolic Unisphere, built by US Steel, stood in the same fountain as the prior fair's Trilon and Perisphere.

My favorite exhibit was Disney's Carousel of Progress, presented in conjunction with GE. An American family was depicted in the 1900s, 1920s, 1940s, and 19??, with all their new timesaving conveniences and electrical appliances. The Carousel of Progress, slightly updated, can still be enjoyed in Magic Kingdom's Tomorrowland at Walt Disney World. I never tire of it. ("There's a great big beautiful tomorrow waiting at the end of every day.")

The IBM Pavilion, designed by Eero Saarinen, was in an egg shape, resembling the type element ball in an IBM Selectric typewriter. After seeing "The Information Machine" presentation, visitors could try out a Selectric at the Typewriter Bar. The IBM PC was not yet envisioned.

The DuPont Pavilion had the most creative show at the fair, "Wonderful World of Chemistry." In the show, live actors interacted with actors and objects on film to create a seamless presentation. (Like passing a flower back and forth between stage and screen characters.)

Among international exhibits, I recall the India Pavilion. The theme of the exhibits was "Progress in Democracy: Ancient Land, Young Nation".

The American Airlines exhibit had a Ford 5-AT-74 Trimotor built in 1929 on display, "From three-engined airliners of the 1920s to three-engined airliners of the 1960s" was the theme.

Dinoland, with nine life-sized fiberglass dinosaurs, graced the Sinclair Oil pavilion. Sinclair's gas station logo was a green brontosaurus.

"Great Moments with Mr. Lincoln" was another Disney contribution, an audio-animatronic figure at the Illinois state pavilion. The robotic Abraham Lincoln can be seen today at Main Street in Disneyland. I went on my first It's A Small World cruise, a salute to UNESCO. I still find it charming. The Tower of the Four Winds mobile sculpture at It's A Small World was, in many ways, a summation of 1960s eclectic design. Epcot's Future World plaza contains elements of it today.

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Photos

Unisphere
Unisphere. Symbol of the New York World's Fair, 1964-1964. Designed by Gilmore D. Clarke. The armillary sphere orbited by satellites conveyed the theme of "Peace Through Understanding". The Unisphere still stands in Flushing Meadows–Corona Park in Queens.
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New York World's Fair
Overview of the New York World's Fair, 1964-1965. The Kodak Pavilion is in the center. At the upper right is the circular New York State Pavilion. At the left is the Tower of the Four Winds.
The Tower of the Four Winds was a kinetic sculpture by Disney imagineer Roland Crump. It marked the entrance to It's A Small World at the PepsiCola Pavilion. (Similarly themed poles and banners are found at Epcot's Innoventions Plaza today.)
The Kodak Pavilion with its Picture Tower and Moondeck was designed by Kahn & Jacobs. The Kodak exhibit featured The Searching Eye," a multi-image film. (The same scene became replicated multiple times in smaller-sized projected moving images. It was quite an effect!) Kodak emphasized family photo shoots on the Moondeck, but I like my photo of the sweep of the entire Googie structure.
The New York State Pavilion's Tent of Tomorrow and observation towers still stand in the park.
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General Electric Pavilion
General Electric pavilion at the 1964-1965 New York World's Fair. Designed by Welton Becket and Associates.
The circular building featured Progressland, the Carousel of Progress developed by Walt Disney. It remains my favorite show of the World's Fair. The Carousel of Progress is now installed at Magic Kingdom at Walt Disney World.
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General Motors Pavilion
General Motors (GM) pavilion at the 1964-1965 New York World's Fair. Futurama II was a dark ride that took visitors into the imagined future. I think the structure bears a strong resemblance to the later GM Test Track ride building at Walt Disney World's Epcot.
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Mariner IV
Mariner IV display at the U.S. Space Park exhibit, New York World's Fair, 1964-1965. Mariner was a flyby Mars space probe launched in 1964.
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Bell System Pavilion
Bell System (AT&T) Pavilion, New York World's Fair, 1964-1965. Floating Wing designed by Harrison & Ambramovitz, adjacent to the Pool of Industry. The pavilion featured a Picturephone hookup with visitors at Disneyland.
The pavilion featured the ride "From Drumbeat to Telstar", telling the story of communication.
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Time Capsules
Westinghouse sponsored the Time Capsule at the 1939-1940 World's Fair. At the 1964-1965 fair, it sponsored Time Capsule II, presenting changes in society and science during the 25-year span. The Time Capsules are to be retrieved in the year 6939.
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India Pavilion
India Pavilion at the New York World's Fair, 1964-1965. The theme of the exhibits was "Progress in Democracy: Ancient Land, Young Nation".
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IBM and Du Pont Pavilions
IBM and Du Pont Pavilions, New York World's Fair, 1964-1965.
The IBM Pavilion, designed by Eero Saarinen, was in an egg shape, resembling the type element ball in a Selectric typewriter. After seeing "The Information Machine" presentation, visitors could try out a Selectric at the Typewriter Bar. The IBM PC was not yet envisioned.
The Du Pont Pavilion had the most creative live show at the fair, "Wonderful World of Chemistry". In the show, live actors interacted with actors and objects on film to create a seamless presentation. (Like passing a flower back and forth between stage and screen characters.)
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NCR Pavilion
National Cash Register (NCR) Pavilion, New York World's Fair, 1964-1965. At left is the Lunar Fountain.
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Sinclair Oil Dinoland
Sinclair Oil Dinoland pavilion at the 1964-1965 New York World's Fair. "Nine life-sized fiberglass dinosaurs were designed and constructed by world-renowned wildlife sculptor Louis Paul Jonas." An Apatosaurus (Brontosaurus), the symbol of Sinclair Oil, greets visitors at the entrance. The Apatosaurus is now on display at Dinosaur Valley National Park in Glen Rose, Texas.
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Trachodon
Sinclair Oil Dinoland pavilion at the 1964-1965 New York World's Fair. Trachodon. The Trachodon is now at the Brookfield Zoo in Chicago.
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Ornitholestes
Sinclair Oil Dinoland pavilion at the 1964-1965 New York World's Fair. Ornitholestes. Ornitholestes was stolen while the fair was in progress, and its whereabouts remain unknown.
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Ford Trimotor
Ford 5-AT-74 Tri-Motor N414H on display at the American Airlines exhibit, New York World's Fair, 1965. Built in 1929. The aircraft remains in flying condition.
"From three-engined airliners of the 1920s to three-engined airliners of the 1960s" [i.e., the new Boeing 727] was the theme od the exhibit.
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Better Living Center
Better Living Center at the 1964-1965 New York World's Fair. Note the Lifesavers Tower, a glass tower elevator. Some 250 exhibitors carried out the theme with displays that fell into six major categories: food, fashion, home, leisure, health, and security.
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United States Pavilion
United States Pavilion, New York World's Fair, 1964-1965. The theme of the exhibit was "Challenge to Greatness, America...Past, Present, Future." The US Pavilion was left standing after the fair. But, an adaptive reuse could not be found and it was demolished in 1976.
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Comments

[Home and Away]

You have quite a memory...
I also visited the 1964-65 Worlds Fair, but couldn't remember every exhibit. The one I do remember was General Motors, which had a road building display and of course their cars. A friend of my mothers bought the displayed Cadillac. I also remember the Ford exhibit with the first Mustang. I guess I'm better at remembering cars!

[AndrewHL]

New York World's Fair
Nice to hear from someone else who was there! I have some vivid memories of the New York World's Fair, although I don't recall the automobiles as you do. I've revisited the Carousel of Progress many times at Walt Disney World. It no longer ends with the future promise of atomic energy for all, but is still most clever and enjoyable.