This 1964 file photo from the World’s Fair in the Queens borough of New York shows a views of the future in the “Futurama 2” ride put together by General Motors.
View: Visions of 1964 World’s Fair Didn’t All Come True
The millions of visitors who attended the New York World’s Fair that opened in 1964 were introduced to a range of technological innovations and predictions. Some of those turned out to be right on the money and others, perhaps thankfully, were way off the mark.
In this 1964 file photo provided by AT&T, a Picturephone is demonstrated at the AT&T Pavilion at the 1964 World’s Fair in the Queens borough of New York. The Picturephone itself may have never caught on, but the concept endures in technology such as SKYPE. The New York World’s Fair that opened in April 1964 introduced the 51 million visitors to a range of technological innovations and predictions for how the future would look.
In this 1964 file photo provided by Disney, shows visitors to the “It’s a Small World” attraction at the 1964 World’s Fair in the Queens borough of New York. Along with three other exhibitions, including one featuring a robotic President Abraham Lincoln, Disney used the opportunity of the fair to test out concepts. The exhibitions and the robotic animation were then put in place at Disney’s parks and have been there ever since.
This 1964 file photo shows the New York State Pavilion at the New York World’s Fair in New York. It was designed as sleek, space-age vision of the future: a pavilion of pillars with a suspended, shimmering roof that the 1964 World’s Fair billed as the “Tent of Tomorrow.” That imagined tomorrow has come and gone. Now the structure and its three nearby observation towers are abandoned relics, with rusted beams, faded paint and cracked concrete. As the fair’s 50th anniversary approaches, the remains of the New York State Pavilion are getting renewed attention, from preservationists who believe they should be restored, and from critics who see them as hulking eyesores that should be torn down. Neither option would come cheap: an estimated $14 million for demolition and $32 million to $72 million for renovation.
Filed Under: Aerospace + defense
