The
1964-65 New York World’s Fair was one of the greatest and most historical
events ever held in the United States. It is only fitting that The Big E,
America’s Premier Exposition, brings the memory of the World’s Fair back to
life for visitors of all ages to experience with a special 50th Anniversary
exhibit at the Fair this September.
Being born in the 90s, I obviously never had the pleasure of
attending the 64-65 World’s Fair, or any for that matter. Nowadays, nothing can
even compare to the magnitude of that event in the US. The Big E is the only
exposition that I’ve been to that would remotely resemble it. The 1964-65 New
York World’s Fair ran for about 12 months of its two seasons, attracted
51,607,307 visitors and sat on over 647 acres of land in Flushing
Meadows Corona Park, Queens.
At the World’s Fair,
visitors were exposed to the most diverse and extensive entertainment and education
as well as the greatest technological innovations and predictions the world at
that time had ever seen. Even fifty years later, the World’s Fair still remains
synonymous with American culture of the 60s – even though colonies on the moon
and jet packs have yet to come to fruition.
Since I was first
told this exhibit would be in the Young building during The Big E, I felt the
need to acquaint myself with the historic event. I am also a history nut so
briefly familiarizing myself with the event turned into reading numerous
articles and watching dozens of YouTube videos. The virtual experience got me
so into it that I completely fangirled when my dad told me he had a model car
featured in the General Motors’ “Futurama II” exhibit at the 1965 Fair.
The 1964-65 World’s Fair exhibit at The Big E will feature more than 250 pieces
of souvenirs and artifacts from the Fair. A seven foot tall recreation of the
“Unisphere,” will be the centerpiece along with a large amount of Ford’s
World’s Fair memorabilia, including a scale model of the Ford Pavilion and an
authentic 1965 Ford Mustang, the instantly popular car that Ford debuted at the
1964 World’s Fair.
In
addition, displays will highlight the new technologies of the time, eating at
the Fair, the Sinclair Dinoland and more! There will also be a unique film
presentation featuring rare and never publicly screened home movie and
commercial footage from the 1964 event.
The goal of the
exhibit is to capture the fairgoer experience and create a nostalgic trip for
those who visited the fair and for those who didn’t, the opportunity to see the
significance of the World’s Fair for the first time.
After we announced the exhibit on Monday, Big E fans shared
their memories of the World’s Fair with us. Here are several of them.
“I
was about 4 and have some vivid memories of it, including the Carousel of
Progress, the dinosaurs, and It's A Small World. I look forward to seeing the
exhibit at the Big E!” – Allison
“Went
there on a field trip from Duggan Jr. High School with a good friend Douglas
Johnson.” – Winslow
“I
remember walking around there on a class trip. Wow! Long time ago.” – Shelley
“I
went in '64 when I was 6 years old. My mom & dad had gone earlier and saw
the "It's a Small World" exhibit and my mom said they had to go back
so they could bring me. I have vivid memories of that display. I still have the
record I got has a souvenir. Also, another item I remember well, is the
Telephone where you could also see the person talking to you...amazing. There
was also this money tank where you saw bills flying all around, I am not quite
sure what it was for. One more thing, I decided I needed to use the
restroom...my parents' panicked as I went alone and they didn't know what had
happened to me. Hopefully, the city of New York will stay in discussion and
will not tear down the remains of some of the iconic structures. Some are
slated to be destroyed in the near future.” – Patty
“Was
there in 1965. An experience to say the least.” – Judy
“Bus to New York World's Fair out of Springfield. Huge
crowds; long lines. Disney's It's a Small World, Michelangelo's Pieta, jade
Budda on a chain as a souvenir. Looooong fun day.” – Ellen
“My
dad took me, one of my favorite memes with him!! Thanks for this reminder!!
<3” – Linda
“My
husband says he had his first Amana Radar Range (first microwave) hotdog at the
fair. He said a lot of people would not eat them.” – Barbra
Do you remember your trip to the World’s Fair?
