Sunday 30 April 2023

trylon and perisphere (10. 708)

Opened with a simulcast that inaugurated regularly scheduled television programming in New York City by NBC by President Roosevelt, the World’s Fair in Flushing Meadows-Corona Park, Queens welcomed a crowd of over two-hundred thousand spectators on its first day, an overcast Sunday this day in 1939. Originally conceived four years prior as make-work scheme during the height of the Great Depression to help improve the city’s economy and revitalise an ash dump that was to be the site of the fairgrounds, the chosen slogan was “Dawn of a New Day” and invited visitors to have a glimpse of the “world of tomorrow”—though the beginning of World War II four month before the starting ceremonies affected the participation of several countries and exhibitions and pavilions were scaled back. Under the direction of Edward Bernays (previously here and here), responsible for promotion and public relations and calling the event “democracity”, many leading scientists of the day, including Albert Einstein, were on the agenda giving presentations and lectures but many bemoaned the atmosphere for being bereft of actually science and more focused on consumer products—though the gimmicks and gadgetry were nonetheless captivating.  Exhibits included a time capsule to be opened in five millennia, an electrified farm, a synthesised voice called the Voder, a calculator that used punch cards, a computerised video game, a robot that smoked cigarettes, a visit by Superman and friends plus several exhibitions of fine arts and historical artefacts from participating nations, several of which were stored at Fort Knox for safe keeping with the escalation of hostiles to be repatriated after the fighting ceased.