1939+New+York+World+Fair

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This is a video about the 1939 New York World Fair.

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This is the planning part of the 1939 New York World Fair.

Trylon and Perisphere on US stamp from 1939.

In 1935, at the height of the [|Great Depression], a group of [|New York City] retired policemen decided to create an international exposition to lift the city and the country out of depression. Not long after, these men formed the New York World's Fair Corporation, whose office was placed on one of the higher floors in the [|Empire State Building]. The NYWFC elected former chief of police [|Grover Whalen] as the president of their committee. The whole committee consisted of [|Winthrop Aldrich], [|Mortimer Buckner], [|Floyd Carlisle], [|John J. Dunnigan], [|Harvey Dow Gibson], Mayor [|Fiorello La Guardia], [|Percy S. Straus], and many other business leaders. Over the next four years, the committee planned, built, and organized the fair and its exhibits, with countries around the world taking part in creating the biggest international event since [|World War I]. Working closely with the Fair's committee was [|Robert Moses], New York City Parks Commissioner, who saw great value to the City in having the World's Fair Corporation (at its expense) remove a vast ash dump in Queens that was to be the site for the exposition, and turn the area into a City park after the exposition closed. [|Edward Bernays] directed public relations of the fair in 1939, which he called 'democricity'.[|[1]] Grover Whalen, a public relations innovator, saw the Fair as an opportunity for corporations to present [|consumer products], rather than as an exercise in presenting science and the scientific way of thinking in its own right, as [|Harold Urey], [|Albert Einstein] and other scientists wished to see the project.[|[2]] "As events transpired," reported [|Carl Sagan],[|[3]] whose own interest in science was nevertheless sparked by the Fair's gadgetry, "almost no real science was tacked on to the Fair's exhibits, despite the scientists' protests and their appeals to high principles." Promotion of this great event took many forms. In 1938, the [|Brooklyn Dodgers], [|New York Giants], and [|New York Yankees] baseball teams did their part to promote the upcoming fair by wearing patches on their jerseys featuring the [|Trylon], [|Perisphere], and "1939" on their left sleeve. [|Howard Hughes] flew a special World's Fair flight around the world to promote the fair in 1938. While the main purpose of the fair was to lift the spirits of America and drive much-needed business to New York City, it was also felt that there should be a cultural or historical association. It was therefore decided that the fair opening would correspond to the 150th anniversary of [|George Washington]'s first inauguration as [|President of the United States].

[] This is a website that introduces the 1939 New York World's Fair. //Trylon, Perisphere and Helicline// photo by [|Sam Gottscho] //**1939 World's Fair** redirects here. The term can also refer to the [|Golden Gate International Exposition], which was held in [|San Francisco]/[|Oakland] at the same time as the New York fair.// The **1939-40 New York World's Fair**, which covered the 1,216 acres of [|Flushing Meadows-Corona Park] (also the location of the [|1964-1965 New York World's Fair]), was the largest [|world's fair] of all [|time]. Many countries around the world participated in it, and over 44 million people attended its exhibits in two seasons. The NYWF of 1939-1940 was the first exposition to be based on the future, with an opening slogan of "Dawn of a New Day", and it allowed all visitors to take a look at "the world of tomorrow". According to the official New York World's Fair pamphlet,

"The eyes of the Fair are on the future – not in the sense of peering toward the unknown nor attempting to foretell the events of tomorrow and the shape of things to come, but in the sense of presenting a new and clearer view of today in preparation for tomorrow; a view of the forces and ideas that prevail as well as the machines. To its visitors the Fair will say: "Here are the materials, ideas, and forces at work in our world. These are the tools with which the World of Tomorrow must be made. They are all interesting and much effort has been expended to lay them before you in an interesting way. Familiarity with today is the best preparation for the future.'"

This was the largest “World’s fair of all time”. (1939-1940). This exposition was based on the future. []

An [|"industrial film"] (in color) with images of the Fair.

The New York World's Fair, "Building the World of Tomorrow". []
 * Add.-This is excellent and it portrays the cities of the future as many of the time saw it. It shows the escape from reality, which so many desperate seeked at the time due to being in the final stages of the Great Depression as well as the war in Europe erupting at the time. (Mario)

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Here is a video from GM's Futurama which aired at the 1939 World's Fair

The 1939's New York World Fair

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It has a comparison between two fairs/expositions. One which took place in Chicago in 1893, and the latter which is the New York World Fair of 1939. It shows the effects of it as well as portraying what the architects of the time were aiming for. (Mario)

1939's New York World Fair []

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In the Hall of Electrical Living, the Middletons are entertained by Elektro, the amazing Westinghouse Moto-Man. It's lots of fun, especially for Babs and Bud. And the older folks in the family appreciate the serious side, too -- how electricity has lightened housekeeping burdens and made more time for //living// in the modern home. You, too, will enjoy every minute of your visit to the Westinghouse Building at the New York Fair. Be sure to see Elektro, as well as the many other features offered by this "fair within a fair." Don't miss "The Battle of the Centuries," the Microvivarium, the Junior Science Laboratories, and the Television Show. You'll remember the Westinghouse Building as long as you live.



This is a [|video] of Elektro in action at the world fair. This is a [|video] of Electro blowing a ballon(BEWARE).