I knew about Expo 2025 happening right now because...I'm going next week. There are pavilions from many countries, with cuisine, music, etc., so I would say your characterization of this event seems unfair (I'll have to see how unfair when I go). It's been big news in Japan, and outsiders not paying attention to what's happening in Japan is unfortunately nothing new. Expo 1970, the previous one in Osaka, had over 60 million attendees.
I do agree, though, with the general sense that people (or maybe Americans) have stopped being optimistic about the future. The best piece I've read on this theme is "The world of tomorrow" by Virginia Postrel, which also talks about World's Fairs.
I'll second your recommendation of that Postrel article. It's pretty much on the mark.
It's interesting that the world's fairs considered iconic are often the ones when the world was poised for big political changes. The Crystal Palace in 1851 was followed by reform movements and restructurings in England and Europe, perhaps related to the 1848 continental revolution. The Centennial Exhibit in 1876 was followed by the Progressive Era of politics. The 1939 NYC fair was at the start of World War II. It's hard to miss that one. The 1964 fair was at the start of the environmental, women's and libereation movements.
As a Chicagoan, I'm contractually obligated to highlight the 1893 World's Columbian Exposition, which might be a better fit with the Progressive Era timeline.
Although I think the dates might be coincidence, for the most part. And since most European empires were in decline or about to be headed that way, it's ironic (the timing).
There was a newsreel about the '39 WF that was sometimes shown between cartoons on a local kids' program that I watched. The City of Tomorrow (or whatever it was called) fascinated me. I'm not sure the '64 WF had anything to rival it. I wanted to go to the '64 WF badly - I was young enough to somehow imagine that all of the countries represented had set aside their differences and peace would be the end result. Too young to understand that these things were funded by unbelievable amounts of corporate money. (No wonder the current backers aren't from the Americas.)
I still love that film segment about the World of Tomorrow. Reality has proved to be much stranger - and more mundane - than anyone could have guessed. My thought is also that WWII destroyed so many dreams, along with its aftermath.
Not at all dissimilar to now, where a handful of elderly, cishet white men are busily undermining our entire system of government and so many necessary federally-funded programs that I just can't keep track.
Maybe a global exposition for ordinary people - artisans, craftsmen of all kinds, visual and performing arts folks - would be a better approach. No billions thrown at gaudy displays and buildings, but something that's at least partly like the Smithsonian's annual Folklife Festival, amplified many times over (and in a better location).
That's true (about false claims of being straight), but I'm not sure it matters if/when said individuals are the richest of the rich and part of the old boys' club.
I went all the way down under to Brisbane to see Expo'88 after finishing my University degree. Back when there were student travel deals and International student cards. Lots of fun.
If there is an afterlife, surely McBarge will be reunited there for all eternity with Boaty McBoatface; a boat McMarriage made in McHeaven.
There are so few things we can unite around today...how about well wishes for the McHappy couple? Love is a many McSplendored thing, with or without fries.
Montreal's Expo 67 wasn't the last major one in North America. Vancouver's World Expo in 1986 radically transformed my hometown. It was a major world's expo. No longer a best kept secret, investors from around the world learned about Vancouver and realized it was a great place to buy real estate. What was once a city where residents could buy a home, eventually became ridiculously overpriced real estate.
On a positive note, my teenage self with my parents had the good fortune to see the amazing harmonies of the Everly Brothers live with Albert Lee on guitar. And my cousin and I saw a double bill of two piano playing sons of Louisiana: Fats Domino and Jerry Lee Lewis. Fats brought his band from New Orleans with Dave Bartholomew conducting. They stole the show from the Killer.
A great post. Of course you know about the first fair or exhibition in 1851 in England. Celebrating success and human progress. Loved by all except one visitor; Karl Marx.
The 1850s were when the reform movement of the 1830s had just started to get some benefits of Industrial Revolution to the workers. The Queen started recognizing centenarians in the 1950s. Then came the big changes of the 1850s, particularly 1857 and the restructuring of the empire.
That makes sense about Marx. Even now, there are a lot of people who think the problem is lack of production. Nowadays, it's the Abundance Agenda people. Then, as now, the problem has been the poor distribution of goods.
I think Seattle’s world fair in early 60s was 1 of the only ones to break even or make money— & fairgrounds still used every week! (Yay the space needle!)
Ted, I believe that you know better than I that those controlling the shots have no motivation to offer us environments that cultivate hope, optimism, and goodwill. There is no profit or power here. They want us distracted, confused, scared, and stressed. It is up to us, in our small circles, to create the World Fair feelings. Community, generosity, curiosity, playfulness. We definitely need more of this. And I love that Tara said yes on the bridge. I can picture the two of you in an old movie. I love that you are both out of the box intelligent and old school romantic. We need more of this too. Wishing you a beautiful day. xo
San Diego's Balboa Park - where I proposed to my wife - was the site of the 1915 Panama-California Exposition and the 1935 California Pacific International Exposition. I believe the 1915 event was financed by the same Spreckles family that underwrote the San Francisco fair, and the architecture was much the same. Balboa Park remains an absolute urban gem, more so than Golden Gate Park, in that it is much closer to the downtown, and is more compact. But, yes, neither park could be created today.
Why can’t we have a World’s Fair on the old grand dimensions? Bc we arent the innocent humans we were then. We've come too far, as they say. Or, you cant unfuck that which has been fucked, as has been said. We've all partaken in humanity's sins, and weve lost the guileless hope that inspired such fairs.
Our path must be forward, not backward. We do the things we are inspired to do, less so the things that are actually good for us.
My wife went to the World's Fair in Spokane as a child. We went back to Spokane last year and had a great time walking along the river through the old expo site. It's still a special place after 50 years.
Expo 67 got a baseball team named after it. Of course that team now plays in DC, but even if the event lost money and the team departed, both were noble efforts.
The '74 Worlds Fair here in Spokane might have been the dividing line between optimism and apocalypse. Nixon came to open it, and the theme was Gaia. They tore down a huge industrial area on the downtown waterfront and replaced it with a park celebrating Climate Disaster. One of the pavilions is still there as part of Riverfront Park.
Now, of course, it's Overdose Park, thanks to the destruction of industry and the elevation of finance.
My family drove all the way from Iowa to attend that fair. My aunt was living in Spokane and we spent two days there. I definitely remember the huge environmental theme of the fair.
It is hard to have a World's Fair full of optimism when the leader of the free world is full of hatred for anyone who is not a white male or a billionaire and whose policies are killing children across the globe, blocking cancer research, and is a science denier!
I've posted about twits like you who ruin Ted's comment section with insane political rants. It doesn't bother me that you're suffering in any way because I've felt so much better since last November 5th.
You do not understand what Ted's article is about. It is about how the world was once optimistic about the future due to the advancements in science and technology. My comment agrees with him. It is not a rant, and your comment with personal name-calling should be deleted. I guess that my comment triggered you. The current political climate is destroying positive feelings about the future of mankind. The current World's Fair is an example. It is obvious that you are MAGA and do not want to see how this racist, negative political organization is destroying the future of the US and possibly the world. If you do not want the truth, do not read Ted's articles. If you do not like my comments, do not read them. 1st amendment!
It's sad to note you're not optimistic, as evidenced by your previous comment. Yet you attribute your feelings to politics, while ignoring the fact that at least half of the US population feels optimistic for the same reason. It's amazing that you assume everyone should be whining because you are. Get over yourself, and, as I said, leave politics out of your comments on The Honest Broker. Just like Ted does.
I never said I wasn't optimistic, and if you actually read Ted's posts, he does reference politics when it is pertinent to the subject he is writing about. This post is about politics and how it affects the elements of the World's Fair. I am optimistic that the US and the world will eventually right itself, just like it did after WWII and the defeat of Fascism and Nazism which my family was directly involved with defeating. Unfortunately, many people in power think that these forms of government are the only answer to the world's problems, such as Peter Thiel and Elon, just to name a few. I am confident that this correction will not be made by another world war!
The Eiffel Tower was built for the 1889 World’s Fair, held to celebrate the centennial of the French Revolution. Despite facing strong opposition from many Parisians at the time—who called it an eyesore and a disgrace to the city—the tower was completed. Its presence changed the city forever, for the best.
What a great post and the memories and comments it generated!! I graduated from high school in 1964 in New Jersey across the bay from Flushing Meadows. The Fair lasted through two summers, so we went there with multiple h.s. classes and friends, as well as visiting family members. N.B. many of the notable pavilions were then transplanted to …. Epcot next to Disney World in FL (not the Pieta, sorry).
I knew about Expo 2025 happening right now because...I'm going next week. There are pavilions from many countries, with cuisine, music, etc., so I would say your characterization of this event seems unfair (I'll have to see how unfair when I go). It's been big news in Japan, and outsiders not paying attention to what's happening in Japan is unfortunately nothing new. Expo 1970, the previous one in Osaka, had over 60 million attendees.
I do agree, though, with the general sense that people (or maybe Americans) have stopped being optimistic about the future. The best piece I've read on this theme is "The world of tomorrow" by Virginia Postrel, which also talks about World's Fairs.
https://worksinprogress.co/issue/the-world-of-tomorrow/
I'll second your recommendation of that Postrel article. It's pretty much on the mark.
It's interesting that the world's fairs considered iconic are often the ones when the world was poised for big political changes. The Crystal Palace in 1851 was followed by reform movements and restructurings in England and Europe, perhaps related to the 1848 continental revolution. The Centennial Exhibit in 1876 was followed by the Progressive Era of politics. The 1939 NYC fair was at the start of World War II. It's hard to miss that one. The 1964 fair was at the start of the environmental, women's and libereation movements.
As a Chicagoan, I'm contractually obligated to highlight the 1893 World's Columbian Exposition, which might be a better fit with the Progressive Era timeline.
Although I think the dates might be coincidence, for the most part. And since most European empires were in decline or about to be headed that way, it's ironic (the timing).
There was a newsreel about the '39 WF that was sometimes shown between cartoons on a local kids' program that I watched. The City of Tomorrow (or whatever it was called) fascinated me. I'm not sure the '64 WF had anything to rival it. I wanted to go to the '64 WF badly - I was young enough to somehow imagine that all of the countries represented had set aside their differences and peace would be the end result. Too young to understand that these things were funded by unbelievable amounts of corporate money. (No wonder the current backers aren't from the Americas.)
I still love that film segment about the World of Tomorrow. Reality has proved to be much stranger - and more mundane - than anyone could have guessed. My thought is also that WWII destroyed so many dreams, along with its aftermath.
Not at all dissimilar to now, where a handful of elderly, cishet white men are busily undermining our entire system of government and so many necessary federally-funded programs that I just can't keep track.
Maybe a global exposition for ordinary people - artisans, craftsmen of all kinds, visual and performing arts folks - would be a better approach. No billions thrown at gaudy displays and buildings, but something that's at least partly like the Smithsonian's annual Folklife Festival, amplified many times over (and in a better location).
I may have seen that newsreel as part of the warm up for the 1964 fair. (I loved those old newsreels with their wonderfully bombastic narration.)
P.S. A lot of those cishet white men might be cis, but many are less het than they like to claim.
That's true (about false claims of being straight), but I'm not sure it matters if/when said individuals are the richest of the rich and part of the old boys' club.
Vancouver hosted the World Expo in 1986. It was a big deal here. Not sure if this is symbolic, but one of the fun things at the Expo'86 was a floating McDonalds known as McBarge. And Just a couple weeks ago, McBarge sank. https://www.msn.com/en-us/food-and-drink/world-cuisines/the-devastating-fate-of-mcdonald-s-floating-restaurant-the-mcbarge/ar-AA1FpjoX
I went all the way down under to Brisbane to see Expo'88 after finishing my University degree. Back when there were student travel deals and International student cards. Lots of fun.
If there is an afterlife, surely McBarge will be reunited there for all eternity with Boaty McBoatface; a boat McMarriage made in McHeaven.
There are so few things we can unite around today...how about well wishes for the McHappy couple? Love is a many McSplendored thing, with or without fries.
Montreal's Expo 67 wasn't the last major one in North America. Vancouver's World Expo in 1986 radically transformed my hometown. It was a major world's expo. No longer a best kept secret, investors from around the world learned about Vancouver and realized it was a great place to buy real estate. What was once a city where residents could buy a home, eventually became ridiculously overpriced real estate.
On a positive note, my teenage self with my parents had the good fortune to see the amazing harmonies of the Everly Brothers live with Albert Lee on guitar. And my cousin and I saw a double bill of two piano playing sons of Louisiana: Fats Domino and Jerry Lee Lewis. Fats brought his band from New Orleans with Dave Bartholomew conducting. They stole the show from the Killer.
A great post. Of course you know about the first fair or exhibition in 1851 in England. Celebrating success and human progress. Loved by all except one visitor; Karl Marx.
The 1850s were when the reform movement of the 1830s had just started to get some benefits of Industrial Revolution to the workers. The Queen started recognizing centenarians in the 1950s. Then came the big changes of the 1850s, particularly 1857 and the restructuring of the empire.
That makes sense about Marx. Even now, there are a lot of people who think the problem is lack of production. Nowadays, it's the Abundance Agenda people. Then, as now, the problem has been the poor distribution of goods.
I think Seattle’s world fair in early 60s was 1 of the only ones to break even or make money— & fairgrounds still used every week! (Yay the space needle!)
Ted, I believe that you know better than I that those controlling the shots have no motivation to offer us environments that cultivate hope, optimism, and goodwill. There is no profit or power here. They want us distracted, confused, scared, and stressed. It is up to us, in our small circles, to create the World Fair feelings. Community, generosity, curiosity, playfulness. We definitely need more of this. And I love that Tara said yes on the bridge. I can picture the two of you in an old movie. I love that you are both out of the box intelligent and old school romantic. We need more of this too. Wishing you a beautiful day. xo
San Diego's Balboa Park - where I proposed to my wife - was the site of the 1915 Panama-California Exposition and the 1935 California Pacific International Exposition. I believe the 1915 event was financed by the same Spreckles family that underwrote the San Francisco fair, and the architecture was much the same. Balboa Park remains an absolute urban gem, more so than Golden Gate Park, in that it is much closer to the downtown, and is more compact. But, yes, neither park could be created today.
It is truly a gem, and it is used and appreciated daily by so many residents and visitors. I agree that it would be tough to create it today.
Why can’t we have a World’s Fair on the old grand dimensions? Bc we arent the innocent humans we were then. We've come too far, as they say. Or, you cant unfuck that which has been fucked, as has been said. We've all partaken in humanity's sins, and weve lost the guileless hope that inspired such fairs.
Our path must be forward, not backward. We do the things we are inspired to do, less so the things that are actually good for us.
My wife went to the World's Fair in Spokane as a child. We went back to Spokane last year and had a great time walking along the river through the old expo site. It's still a special place after 50 years.
"I'd like to teach the world to sing in perfect harmony..."
"There's a Great Big Beautiful Tomorrow, shining at the end of every day....."
Expo 67 got a baseball team named after it. Of course that team now plays in DC, but even if the event lost money and the team departed, both were noble efforts.
The '74 Worlds Fair here in Spokane might have been the dividing line between optimism and apocalypse. Nixon came to open it, and the theme was Gaia. They tore down a huge industrial area on the downtown waterfront and replaced it with a park celebrating Climate Disaster. One of the pavilions is still there as part of Riverfront Park.
Now, of course, it's Overdose Park, thanks to the destruction of industry and the elevation of finance.
My family drove all the way from Iowa to attend that fair. My aunt was living in Spokane and we spent two days there. I definitely remember the huge environmental theme of the fair.
It is hard to have a World's Fair full of optimism when the leader of the free world is full of hatred for anyone who is not a white male or a billionaire and whose policies are killing children across the globe, blocking cancer research, and is a science denier!
I've posted about twits like you who ruin Ted's comment section with insane political rants. It doesn't bother me that you're suffering in any way because I've felt so much better since last November 5th.
Please try to control yourself here, thank you.
You do not understand what Ted's article is about. It is about how the world was once optimistic about the future due to the advancements in science and technology. My comment agrees with him. It is not a rant, and your comment with personal name-calling should be deleted. I guess that my comment triggered you. The current political climate is destroying positive feelings about the future of mankind. The current World's Fair is an example. It is obvious that you are MAGA and do not want to see how this racist, negative political organization is destroying the future of the US and possibly the world. If you do not want the truth, do not read Ted's articles. If you do not like my comments, do not read them. 1st amendment!
It's sad to note you're not optimistic, as evidenced by your previous comment. Yet you attribute your feelings to politics, while ignoring the fact that at least half of the US population feels optimistic for the same reason. It's amazing that you assume everyone should be whining because you are. Get over yourself, and, as I said, leave politics out of your comments on The Honest Broker. Just like Ted does.
I never said I wasn't optimistic, and if you actually read Ted's posts, he does reference politics when it is pertinent to the subject he is writing about. This post is about politics and how it affects the elements of the World's Fair. I am optimistic that the US and the world will eventually right itself, just like it did after WWII and the defeat of Fascism and Nazism which my family was directly involved with defeating. Unfortunately, many people in power think that these forms of government are the only answer to the world's problems, such as Peter Thiel and Elon, just to name a few. I am confident that this correction will not be made by another world war!
The Eiffel Tower was built for the 1889 World’s Fair, held to celebrate the centennial of the French Revolution. Despite facing strong opposition from many Parisians at the time—who called it an eyesore and a disgrace to the city—the tower was completed. Its presence changed the city forever, for the best.
A Castle Films 8mm "home movie" of the 1964 fair. The Eastman Color film stock has faded just like our long-ago optimism. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=61mVwC08C50
What a great post and the memories and comments it generated!! I graduated from high school in 1964 in New Jersey across the bay from Flushing Meadows. The Fair lasted through two summers, so we went there with multiple h.s. classes and friends, as well as visiting family members. N.B. many of the notable pavilions were then transplanted to …. Epcot next to Disney World in FL (not the Pieta, sorry).
Is it still there, doing that job?
Epcot was supposed to be a standing world's fair. It succeeded at that in a way.