Remembering the 1964 New York World’s Fair

The Big Tire at the 1964 New York World's FairFor many of us in the Keener Generation, a pivotal memory was forged in the summer of 1964 when we traveled with our family to the New York World’s fair. It’s theme was “Peace Through Understanding”, dedicated to “Man’s Achievement on a Shrinking Globe in an Expanding Universe”. At its center was the 12-story , stainless-steel Unisphere a symbol of the explosion of technology that paralleled the nascent US Space Program. The fair showcased four Disney themed attractions, Ford’s “Magic Skyway” the General Electric, “Carousel Theater of Progress”, The State of Illinois’ “Great Moments” with an animatronic Abraham Lincoln and the perennial “It’s a Small World” attraction, created for UNICEF. An enduring icon of the fair is The Giant Uniroyal Tire that still stands off of I-94, near Metro Airport. The fair enjoyed two six-month seasons, April 22 – October 18, 1964 and April 21 – October 17, 1965. Adult admission was just $2.