Visitors to the 1939 worlds fair in new york wait in long lines outside the general motors futurama exhibit, a ride across the face. Courtesy of the worlds fair auction photos of vehicles used in the futurama display during the 19391940 new york worlds fair. As a sequel to the successful 1939 new york worlds fair, the second worlds fair opened on april 22, 1964, and its theme was peace through understanding. It was the second most expensive american world s fair of all time, exceeded only by st. Gm is rehashing its groundbreaking futurama exhibit at the 1939 worlds fair by looking ahead to its 100year anniversary in a new video. Visitors to general motors futurama exhibit at the 1939 worlds fair, which promised to show visitors the world of tomorrow, from comfortable moving sound chairs while touring a vast scale. The new york worlds fair, in 1939 and 1940, was new yorks crack at selling itself and the nations industry to the world. Remembering futurama at the 1939 new york worlds fair. Many of the concepts bel geddes put forward became law. The main purpose of the fair was to increase international trade relations between the participants and to boost us business worldwide. The worlds fair future of 1939 and the quest for our next utopia.
But the exhibits were less important than the people. Seventy five years ago this april, the 1939 new york worlds fair building the world of tomorrow opened to the public in flushing meadows, ny. Collection of documents about the 1939 worlds fair. Futurama 1939 new york worlds fair illustrated book. Read about adolph witschard, architect, inventor, and the man behind the animation for futurama.
Rocket to the stars at the 1939 new york worlds fair. Hello and welcome to the showcase of the future that was the 19641965 new york worlds fair. This was the heyday of the worlds fair and is among one of the most popular worlds fairs for collectibles. Read all the press releases coming out of ford lately, and itd be easy to get the idea that new york city threw a giant party called the worlds fair just for fomoco to introduce the mustang. A second capsule was created for the 196465 new york worlds fair and was buried ten feet north of the first.
The space into which it was deposited, outside the westinghouse building, was dubbed the immortal well. Prior to the 1939 worlds fair the concept of an interstate system was not new, but one couldnt expect the american public to be up to date on the latest developments in theoretical civil design. The original draft of the worlds fair goblin was called the man of tomorrow, but it was considered better advertising to include the worlds fair name in the title. The 1939 gm futurama exhibit was designed by a theatrical and industrial designer named norman bel geddes. Autonomy and the 1939 worlds fair the truth about cars. Descriptions of the commercial press exhibit sesquicentennial worlds fair exposition 1926 philadelphia by the commercial press ltd and a great selection of related books, art and collectibles available now at. This silent film shows the new york world s fair of 1939 1940.
Gm looks ahead to 100year anniversary of 1939 futurama in. The secondmostpopular attraction at this world s fair was the city of tomorrow exhibit within the 200foot perisphere, showing immense skyscrapers surrounded by verdant parks and broad roadways. Countries, cities, corporations, and private groups set up shop to display their ideas. A look back at some of the coolest attractions at the 1939. He staged circuses, developed equipment and techniques for the armed services, and wrote books on many subjects.
Futurama was an exhibit and ride at the 1939 new york world s fair designed by norman bel geddes, which presented a possible model of the world 20 years into the future 19591960. After her whirl through the 1893 chicago exposition, jbf assistant editor maggie borden is now taking us back to 1939, when the new york worlds fair ran for six months in flushing meadowscorona park, and where a young mimi sheraton delighted in new flavors and futuristic sights. The new york worlds fair of 1939 and 1940 promised visitors they would be looking at the world of tomorrow. Vintage 1939 new york worlds fair futurama exhibit general motors gm.
Lessons for the 1939 worlds fair for the coming transportation. Bel geddes cajoled general motors into funding the exhibit, and in an 11month. Remembering futurama at the 1939 new york worlds fair november, 2012 by edgar walters i was probably 14, says hesdorfer, referring to the spring day in 1939 that he and a classmate spent at the new york worlds fair. If you or a friend is a collector of twentieth century americana, you may be interested to know more about worlds fair collectibles form the new york worlds fair of 19391940. Book, futurama, 1939 objects collection of cooper hewitt. General motors promotional film follows a young boy as he rides the futurama 2 ride at the 1964 65 new york worlds fair.
The 193940 new york worlds fair was a worlds fair held at flushing meadowscorona park in queens, new york, united states. Designing tomorrow the futuristic new york worlds fair. Many countries around the world participated in it, and over 44 million people attended its exhibits in two seasons. Not everything they saw there came true, but plenty was close. Futurama new york worlds fair exhibit 1939 britannica. So began the dramatic futurama ride through gms highways and horizons exhibit, the largest single exhibit at the fair, and the most popular according to gallup. Futurama at 1939 ny world s fair king rose archives. The new york worlds fair of 1964 rare historical photos. Please practice handwashing and social distancing, and. The most memorable exhibit was the general motors pavilion, and the most memorable feature in the general motors pavilion was a ride called the futurama.
The futurama exhibit was one of the most popular pavilions in the 1939 worlds fair. In honor of our role in expo milano 2015, were taking a look back at the history of food at worlds fairs. Amongst the fairs many exhibits, was general motors futurama, a diorama showing a utopian city of the future. Worlds fair 1939 presented vision of world of tomorrow. The 1939 worlds fair, which played out over 18 months on the former site of the corona dumps, symbolized the new age that would rise from the great depression, an idea embodied by the fairs. Color photos of the 1939 new york worlds fair the atlantic. It was the second most expensive american worlds fair of all time, exceeded only by st. The remnants of the 1964 worlds fair in flushing meadowscorona park are readily apparent, but those from the 1939 worlds fair require quite a bit more digging. Norman bel geddess futurama exhibit, dedicated to building the world of tomorrow, proved to be a step into bob hesdorfers future before. His interest in futuristic metropolises is heavily apparent in the gm display. Use the menu tabs to explore thousands of pages of information and photographs celebrating this. Futurama unveiling the city of the future at the 1939. The fair, which covered the 1,216 acres 492 ha of flushing meadowscorona park also the location of the 19641965 new york world.
General motors 35,738squarefoot highways and horizons pavilion contained the fairs most popular exhibit entitled futurama. Railroads today trains from the 1939 new york worlds fair. Regular followers of this blog will recognize the button featured at the right from one of our earlier posts about the museums new york worlds fair collections. The installation was sponsored by the general motors corporation and was characterized by automated highways and vast suburbs. The time capsule was packed and interred in september 1938. Jun 22, 20 futurama exhibit designed by norman bel geddes, 1939 new york worlds fair. Designed by norman bel geddes, the huge diorama presented a section of. Industrial designer bel geddes and general motors changed all that with their revolutionary futurama exhibit. The 1939 worlds fair sat on the precipice of disaster.
General motors futurama building at the 19641965 new york worlds fair. Visitors to the general motors highways and horizons exhibit at the 19391940 new york worlds fair proudly wore this i have seen the future pin after stepping out of the futurama, a ridelike feature of the exhibit. Wonder bread bakery displays a wheat field exhibit at the 1939 new york worlds fair. That was the year when a living vision of the future instantly became.
Seventy years after the closing of the 1939 new york worlds fair. Mint condition memorabilia from this most famous world fair. The scarecrow of tomorrow, penelope shoo, is wearing an outfit designed by hattie carnegie. The fair attempted to project the approaching machineage future through ideas, art, architecture, consumer products, demonstrations, and exhibits. This photograph shows an elevated view of the huge model of a futuristic city with widely spaced skyscrapers, doubledecked streets with moving cars representing traffic patterns, and parks and landing pads for.
This was the heyday of the world s fair and is among one of the most popular world s fairs for collectibles. See more ideas about worlds fair, world of tomorrow and world. Please practice handwashing and social distancing, and check out our resources for adapting to these times. Australias exhibit, the story of wool, was designed to illustrate the. Expoarchive information about both the 193940 and 196465 new york worlds fairs new york worlds fair collection of images photo gallery. Grover whalen, president of the fair, participated in the sealing. Though the international exhibit isnt named, we can deduce that it was most likely for the 1939 new york worlds fair the following year. Details about futurama 1939 new york worlds fair illustrated book general motors corp photos. Located on seven acres in the transportation zone, it was comprised of four structures on four corners of an imaginary street intersection as it might appear in perhaps 1960. We approach the 1939 new york worlds fair from several directions at once. The 1939 40 new york world s fair was a world s fair held at flushing meadowscorona park in queens, new york, united states. See more ideas about worlds fair, world and world of tomorrow.
It is an exact replica of locomotive numbers 651, 652, and 653 which, with 59,500 pounds of fulling force, wee the most powerful locomotives ever built. This train is located at the sagebrush cantina in calabasas, ca. What the famed futurama tells us about how to get where were going next. This was designer bel geddes masterpiece the futurama exhibit in gms highways and horizons pavilion at the worlds fair, that. Pamphlet for the general motors exhibit highways and horizons at the 19391940 new york worlds fair. It features a world dominated by electric vehicles and. New york worlds fair, 1939 film, manuscripts and archives division, new york public library. Futurama was an exhibit and ride at the 1939 new york worlds fair designed by norman bel geddes, which presented a possible model of the world 20 years. The 1939 fair in queens laid out a glorious automotive vision, with general motors futurama exhibition depicting the highways of the future.
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