A look at Expo 86

I haven't had any free time to post lately as I was working on a new book on Expo 86. It will be out later this year from Arcadia Publishing as the first volume in their new Historic Canada series. This will be my fifth world's fair book with them.

It was fun to go through my Expo 86 photos again while picking out the ones for the book. Here's a shot of the USSR Pavilion exterior:

The Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (USSR) celebrated 25 years of manned space flight with a massive display of space hardware. One of the largest displays at Expo was this Soyuz-Salyut-Progress module, which had actually been used for cosmonaut training. The USSR pavilion is generally thought to have been one of the highlights of the Expo experience.

Enchanted Island - Chicago - 1933

This entrance to the Enchanted Island section of the Century of Progress looks like it was straight out of the Pleasure Island sequence from Pinocchio!

First guard at the 1939 New York World's Fair

This publicity photo has the caption "First guard at the Fair - 1937" on the back.

Unfortunately it doesn't list the man's name. Imagine how different the park looked between when this picture was taken and when the Fair opened, and all of the changes he saw?

Another fair, another entrance

Here's a view of a later World's Fair. This one is the East Gate entrance to Expo 86, the last fair held in North America.

For those unfamiliar with Expo 86, the dome on the left was the theme structure Expo Centre. It's still in use today as a science museum. The monorail can be visited at the Alton Towers theme park in the United Kingdom. Sadly the rest of the colorful structures seen here have been lost to time.

My next book is on Expo 86 and I'm really enjoying going through my pictures for it. This was a great fair in a great city!

Gotham Plaza at the 1964-65 New York World's Fair

Guests entering the Fair through the main entrance, serviced by the Long Island Rail Road and subway, would pass through the ticket booths and turnstiles down a ramp into this area known as Gotham Plaza.

There's a lot going on in this view, which is one of my favorites from the Fair. Take a look at the group of soldiers trying to decide where to head first. Should they go visit the RCA Pavilion across the plaza and see themselves on color television, fortify themselves with a quick bite at the balloon-topped Brass Rail snack bar, buy an Official Guide Book, or ride off on a guided tour? This view is from 1964, as seen by the Greyhound Escorters that were only in use for the first season.

Welcome to the blog!

I started this blog to share some of the photos I've collected, and to provide an opportunity for people to share their thoughts on the fairs. I look forward to see how others remember the fairs, and what made them special (or in some cases disappointing.) Please let me know what your favorite fairs are and I'll do my best to find some pictures for you.

In the meantime, here's a quick shot to get things started. The 1964-1965 New York World's Fair was what started my interest in the subject and I went every chance I could. Every time I come across an unused ticket I wonder why the original owner didn't use it to visit the fair. I bet they wish they could go back and use it now!