History Brief: 1939 World's Fair
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 12 มี.ค. 2017
- The following video provides a short introduction to the 1939 World's Fair in New York City. The fair had many different forms of attractions, and proved to be very popular during its two years of existence. Get the workbook here: amzn.to/2nhvNAw
In this video: In 1939, the New York World’s Fair gave spectators a glimpse at the “world of tomorrow”. What was the World’s Fair? What types of displays were there?
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Throughout the 1930s, there were many expositions and “world’s fairs” across the nation. One of the first occurred in Philadelphia in 1926. It was called the Sesquicentennial International Exposition and celebrated the 150th anniversary of the nation’s independence. Chicago held a similar event in 1933 known as the Century of Progress Exposition. California hosted two world’s fairs. The first was in 1935, in San Diego, and it was known as the California Pacific Exposition. The second came in 1937 and was called the Golden Gate Exposition, with the featured attraction being the newly constructed Golden Gate Bridge.
The biggest and best of the world’s fairs was the New York World’s Fair which opened on April 30, 1939. The fair covered nearly two square miles and had several zones, including Transportation, Communications, Food, Government, Community Interests, and Amusement.
The theme of the fair was “The World of Tomorrow”, and each of these different zones displayed what the future might look like in each respective field. For example, in the Transportation Zone, General Motors showed off a model city designed for cars with super-highways from coast to coast and no red lights. Ford displayed some of their newest vehicle designs.
In other exhibits, fair attendees received a glimpse of television for the first time. Color photography was also on display for all to see. General Electric introduced the world to the fluorescent light bulb, and one auditorium was equipped with another new invention, air conditioning.
Westinghouse provided the seven foot tall “Electro the Moto-Man”. This was a robot that could talk and perform other tasks. Meanwhile, in the Communications Zone, AT&T was showing off a mechanized, synthetic voice that could speak to fairgoers. IBM had new devices of their own, such as the electric typewriter and an electric calculator.
Aside from the many exhibits, there were also live shows featuring dancers and other forms of entertainment. The Amusement Zone provided a variety of rides similar to the ones found at fairs in today’s world. One of the most popular rides was the parachute jump, which allowed people to experience the exhilaration of dropping from a parachute.
Each day, the mayor of New York City, Fiorello La Guardia, would roam the grounds and greet fairgoers or entertain celebrity visitors. Franklin Roosevelt visited the fair on its opening day and even officially “opened” the event. King George VI and Queen Elizabeth of England also visited the fair.
The New York World’s Fair was hugely popular. On its first day, nearly 200,000 people paid to enter the gates. By the end of the fair’s existence in 1940, more than 44 million people had visited the “World of Tomorrow”.
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Those attendance numbers are impressive at 44 million people in the two year run. In 1939 the entire population of the USA was just 130 million. My parents met at the fair on the line for the parachute drop ride. They married in 1941 and it lasted 60 years. Without the 1939 N.Y. Worlds Fair I wouldn't be here today.
Amazing story! Unreal how our very existence often hinges on chance meetings like that.
60 years. Met at the Fair, What a life story.
My VFW member Eugene Iconetti was here, He later joined the Marines during WW2
Great story!Thanks for sharing.
That’s dope
3:00. That IS NOT a photo of the 1939 World's Fair showing IBM's electric typewriter. It's from the 1960s. African Americans wouldn't be in that photo to start with in 1939, much less in 1960s wardrobe.
Introduced by IBM on 31 July 1961. Yes, that caught my eye too, LOL.
Old comment but just one correction: There is plenty of footage of older parades and fairs where whites and blacks are standing next to each other. It was uncommon, but it wasn't impossible.
The B&W photo of electric typewriters, would be IBM Selectrics from the 1964-65 New York Fair!
All 1st World Fairs destroyed amazing architecture from past ages of man under the guise of them being temporarily and made of wood, cloth, and “staff”. No, these buildings were made of stone, they were completely flawless. They say the Chicago fair was created in about 3 years yet the fair had the Manufacturer and Liberal Arts Building that measured 1,687 x 757 and over 245 feet tall at some points. That’s HUGE! The building itself contained 2 times the amount of steel it took to make the Brooklyn Bridge. I strongly encourage people to look into this as it is so obviously a lie when you see the shear size and detail of the 1st Worlds Fairs in London, Chicago, St. Louis, San Diego, etc. There is no way they were constructed in that time, with the technology available.
Lol okay so this year it's in Dubai. Are those ancient buildings? Maybe all of Dubai is? My point is when do you nutjobs think this stopped and they started actually putting up modern buildings for world fairs? Given that you say what we build now is crap. So there must have been a point where we stopped. I know your theory about the 1893 Chicago fair. By the way there are photos - hundreds - and even footage of them building that from laths & staff (plaster). So I suppose they had to build a replica for the cameras. Also demolish a replica, for the cameras, I've seen the photos. So where did they build this replica? Also how come nobody in Chicago noticed these ancient buildings before 1893? So many holes in your bs narrative it's unbelievable.
Why do you post idiotic lies?
The construction of the fairs has been very well documented and is easily researched.
You prefer fairy tales to fact.
Great video! My grandparents went to there before they knew each other. M6 grandmother told me she saw her self on tv, she also told me about the needle. And she got a small Statue of Liberty. Granddaddy said he remember seeing the highway.
Thank you so much for this video. I am from Germany and I adore the Wonder Bakery Pavillon so much. I own original Postcard with this particular building sent at the world fair and once I found a original paper from the bread wich was baken at the fair by Wonderbakery on Ebay. My heart jumped as I saw my beloved colorful pavilion in your video. It made my day! 💖💚🧡❤️💙💛
My parents went to it on their honeymoon in 1939. The great parachute jump was moved to Coney Island amusement park in Brooklyn and held forth for many years. I vivited it there in the 50s but was way too scared to try it. Trylon was incredible because hardly anyone had ever seen the extremely simple yet novel form. I would loved to have seem the Pennsylvania Railroad exhibit with one of their biggest steam locomotives on display on rollers and was under steam and great noise and smoke during the fair.
A very good video archive! My grandmother told me about riding the Parachute drop. I didn't believe her until I saw this!
The Golden Gate Exposition was in 1939, not 1937. It was held during the same time as the New York World's Fair, on Treasure Island, midway between San Francisco and Oakland, just off the newly-constructed Bay Bridge. After the exposition closed, nearly all the buildings, which were temporary in nature, were demolished. During World War II, Treasure Island was converted to a naval base. There are a couple of airplane hangars, and the old Pan Am seaplane terminal that remain from the time of the exposition.
There is so much erroneous information in the narration regarding the New York Fair. He's right, though, in that the fair was (arguably) the "greatest fair", but, it lost money both years. In contrast, the Chicago World's Fair of 1933 & '34 actually made a profit, and was the last world's fair to do so. However, architecturally, the New York World's Fair of '39-'40 was the true standout, never to be equaled, not even by the '64-'65 fair.
Excellent video explaining a tremendous New York World's Fair in a short film.. Proving once again New York was at the forefront of industry and commerce in 1939. It was so beautiful and modern we would enjoy attending today. Timeless ! I think Epcot borrowed from this amazing and grand fair. Bravo to the doers and movers and designers !
Well put. Thank you.
Your channel is impressive indeed. What a wonderful way to teach history and excite young people's minds ! Bravo Oklahoma !
Great! My mother and father went there on their honeymoon. They talked about it all of the time, but it was great for me to see some pictures.
Thanks
This is the 1964 NY expo. There were many worlds fairs in the USA well before the 1930's. And they were much grander and enriching with Architectural beauty and Sculpture and fountains complimenting them. The best exhibit of architecture and sculpture working together was the Chicago Exposition of 1893. Lit by Nicola Tesla. Prior to the Chicago expo. generally worlds fairs in the USA focused on industrial achievements. But 1893, 1901Buffalo, 1904 St Louis and 1915 SanFrancisco expos had an enormous amount of sculpture fountains and buildings. The New York Expo in 1939 was the last real exposition that had any amount figurative sculpture and it was likely the last time sculptors would work with architects in any great collaboration.
would be cool if we still had worlds fares
We do. Google is your friend. It's called Expo now.
Still exist, just not in the US since 1984.
My tile table with an image of the Golden Gate Bridge with a plane flying over it. It was my first “ find” while going to garage, and estate sales with my wife. With a $25 price tag. I’ll end up with 5 other tile tables. Two with other designs, a small, but tall wrought iron 4 tile table with an old sailing ship, from the back, with its windows and raised back like the times of Columbus. And one with a image of French aristocrat’s on it. Many of these small tile tables were from the 30’s. Side tables, much to small for furniture today, side, or in front. The fish scene I got this summer was unusually tall, with the fish, and underwater scene, with aquatic feature, seaweed, crab, and fish.
Did they forget to mention the 1915 Panama pacific international? That was held in SF California too..
Does anyone have Ferde Grofé’s tone poem “Trylon and Perisphere”? :)
See the Fair and parachute drop by watching the Alfred Hitchcock picture “Mr and Mrs Smith” with Carl Lombard. See the Pacific Exposition in San Francisco in the picture “Charlie Chan at Treasure Island”.
I was there.I was four years old.
Hopefully you can remember parts of it.
my mother grew u in Brooklyn. She graduated from New Utertcht HS I 1939, She went of course to the worlds fair and tried out a new hearing machine. That is when she realize or found out she had a major hearing problem. She ended up being almost deaf abs and wore a large hearing aid around her neck for most of her life, She died young of cardiomyopathy. 54 years old in 1974.
I was all of 6 years old then and was there.
Awesome thanks so much interesting
What world's fair had the crazy looking steam locomotive mounted on a large pole?
The San Francisco fair was in 1939 not 1937 as stated in this video.
Laura
Wrong they we're both in 1939 .. The SanFran golden gate Bridge was completed in 1937 with an opening ceremony not a worlds fair
The first Fair in CA was in San Francisco in 1915
1939 NYWF is the 1st time travel stop on the way back to 1904 if you take the Tarakas Continuum.
My mom was 1 years old and she’s still kicking strong at 86 years old in 2024!!!!
My grandparents went to the fair in 1939. Grandmother said she saw herself in a tv screen from a camera. She told me about the needle. Granddaddy said he remembers seeing the interstate.
awesome
You left out the 1936 Worlds Fair in Dallas TX, FDR was here, Ginger Rogers was here, Moto-Man was here before NY.
"Cities of the future, designed for cars with super-highways" ... an unfortunate future prediction that basically ruined the American city.
Toll ways from coast to coast.💵💵
I wish this video had captions.
That would have been Elizabeth, the Queen Mum.
yes
The NY Worlds Fair in 1939 showed more of what the future would hold, and the 1964 one was more of what we had now. Didn't see the 1939 one but loved the 1964 one.
I remember our visit. I wanted to ride the parachute jump but my parents wouldn't let me. They were right. It would have scared the daylights out of me.
How did they build all this?
Research it.
Consider, as well, that 1939 was not exactly the dark ages.
Oh to go back in time to the World of Tomorrow
The San Francisco World's Fair was in 1939. Not 1937.
Yo its 3030, i want yall to meet deltron 0 and automater
As a kid, I visited the 1964 NY World's Fair--everyone said the 1939 version was far better--as an example of how lame the later fair was--most people only remember the Belgian Waffles!
It wasn't lame. It was WONDERFUL.
That's all super cool and all but these don't compare anything to the tartarian empire buildings.
There are no "tartarian empire buildings" did you mean earlier American buildings?
Christ, that photo at 3:22 is certainly not from 1939. Look at the beautiful ladies hairstyles.
It was the best
The one in Egypt dessert
It's still there 😅
Whyyyyyyyyyyyyyy
came here from Mel Gibson's Forever Young (1992)
Wasn't the Columbian exposition in Chicago the White City considered a world's fair or no?
Yes
Were those two black guys Sidney Poitier and Jim Brown??????????😮
Hmm.
What an erudite post.
Don’t be fooled all these world’s fair was actually the kingdom of Tartaria!
🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣
Twilight zone brought me here
Not particularly interesting nor enlightening video.