The Diamond Anniversary of the New York World's Fair--and What It Means Today

On April 30, 1939, the New York World's Fair opened its doors.   It offered an exciting vision of the future, and a particular kind of exciting view of the future--a vision based on the march of science, building the tools upon which the World of Tomorrow will be made.

Today, as the Fair approaches its  75th anniversary--its diamond anniversary--we can look back at the Fair and see how a serious-minded vision of the future inspired the future that actually came to pass.   In other words, it helps to make a realistic forecast first, as a way of stoking up the future demand needed to make the forecast come true.

In the words of the Fair brochure:

"The eyes of the Fair are on the future — not in the sense of peering toward the unknown nor attempting to foretell the events of tomorrow and the shape of things to come, but in the sense of presenting a new and clearer view of today in preparation for tomorrow; a view of the forces and ideas that prevail as well as the machines. To its visitors the Fair will say: 'Here are the materials, ideas, and forces at work in our world. These are the tools with which the World of Tomorrow must be made. They are all interesting and much effort has been expended to lay them before you in an interesting way. Familiarity with today is the best preparation for the future.'"

So this fair was based on practical projection, not fantastical speculation.  The Fair's planners and designers sought to depict the world as it might be.  See for yourself; note in particular the famous Trylon and Perisphere.  The aesthetic and architectural vision is cooler than one might expect, but not in any way out of the realm of possibility.

And if there was a sense of wonder about the Fair--see picture below--that wonder was entirely earned:

No less a figure than President Franklin D. Roosevelt came to dedicate the Fair, just over 74 years ago.    He declared that Americans would come together at the Fair, "united in a common purpose to work for the greatest good of the greatest number, united in the desire to move forward to better things in the use of its great resources of nature and its even greater resources of intelligent, educated manhood and womanhood, and united in its desire to encourage peace and good will among all the nations of the earth."

One of the major exhibitors in the World's Fair was General Motors; its exhibit was called "Futurama," and that's exactly what it was.  Designed by Norman Bel Geddes, Futurama offered a dramatic and exciting look at the future.  Take a look: 

Not surprisingly, the GM vision was heavy on automobiles, and in fact, that's exactly what has happened over the last seven decades.   In 1939, the motor vehicle population of the US was about 30 million; today, it's north of 250 million.  

To take care of that many cars, new highways and bridges would be needed, and so the GM Futurama exhibit emphasized those, too: 

In other words, much of what Bel Geddes and GM foresaw 74 years ago has come to pass in America over these last seven decades.   

And that's the point: An inspiring vision inspires demand.   If people want something badly enough, they will find a way to pay for it.  

So as we think about the future of infrastructure in our time, we should be thinking about inspiration.  

It's inspiration, and imagination, that makes people want something.  With apologies to the famous quote from the 80s movie, "Field of Dreams," if you inspire it, people will build it.  

If people decide that they want this:

Or this: 

They will get it.   

And that's something to think about as the 75th anniversary of the World's Fair comes this April 30, 2014.