I have hanging on my upstairs wall a chalk drawing of myself done at the fair, I was 8 years old. I was one of 10 children, Mom and Dad brought us in groups. Just my sister and I went that day, still remember that wonderful day.
THANKS SO MUCH for uploading this.. For better, or for worse, that world is long gone... the magic never to be recaptured.. The Fair epitomized a magical moment in time for a 13 year old kid, when all the promises of the future seemed just around the corner.. I can still hear the sounds, smell the smells.. i can still taste that Belgian Waffle.. i still remember the Futurama, and the GM pavilions.. where'd it all go.. it seems as if somehow, we've lost sight of that future...
Thanks for the memories. My late husband and I went to the Fair on our honeymoon in Oct. 1964. We drove from Milwaukee WI for it. It was truly amazing.
Thanks so much for posting this video! I was there when I was only seven years old in the summer of 1965 while on vacation with my parents, brother and sister. We visited The Fair on our way back from Niagara Falls as we headed home to Philadelphia. It was a day I'll always remember with great fondness. Oh how I would love to go back in time and do it again. My most notable memory of that day was visiting Sinclair Dinoland and getting a wax Brontosaurus from the Mold-A-Rama machine just outside the Dinoland walls. I miss you dear Dad and Sister. I'll see you in Heaven one day!
@@famousbowl9926 No. If you notice, there was a black Scout leader in the film, and my father took me and a friend that was African-American (a real one.)
@@Sir-RayIt was if black people weren't actively participating. They sometimes do things that are prohibitive in a softer way. Stuff like making admission to high priced. Or other nonsense that would discourage us from attending whatever that may have been where we decided we could not support that fair.
Thanks for posting this video. My parents met at the 1964 World's Fair. They often mention how truly special it was. My father in particular mentions the Belgian waffles.
My dad took me to this fair when I was six yrs old. That set the scene for many fab vacays with him over the years and certainly lit the fire for travel in me. Thanks Dad, RIP.
I visited 6 times during 1964 and 1965. These films bring back memories more vividly than I thought they could. "Call Greyhound...and leave the driving to us!"
I went to the fair when I was 15. At the parker pavilion I got a pen pal. I still keep in touch with my pen pal. We exchange Christmas cards every year.
I was there also when I was 15 but unfortunately I was at the tail end of the mumps which was going on throughout the country if you can remember. I had to leave after an hour by myself bent over with stomach cramps. Saw the chemistry DuPont pavillion, it's a small world(Disney), the future Ford cars, video phones(not hand-held like today), monrail(didn't go on it). Innocent times before Vietnam. Funny I had the mumps then and who would have imagined COVID-19 today?
@@roberttelarket4934 - and only four years later during the winter of '68 the flu pandemic killed 10x as many people as Co19, yet I don't recall the world being shut down for that.
@@salnaturile8653: Sal I don't remember the flu of 1968 at all! Vietnam was raging and I was shaking because of the draft!!! Certainly don't remember 10x as many died!!! Lets me now rethink about today's situation and all governments!
I was there at 6 years old. Still leaves an indelible imprint on my mind. My family took a bus from the local school in Montdale, PA. I was most impressed by seeing people from all over the world. IThe Disney exhibit "It's a Small World" was amazing, still remember what that was like.
I was born in the 80s and would have loved to have attended. What got me interested as a kid was that the Mustang was unveiled there on 4-17 at the Ford pavilion. Ever since then I have tried to watch and read as much as I can about it. What a truly incredible time and how sad the future turned out.
This was one of the biggest highlights of my childhood. Went with my fourth grade class, then again with my mom. Still have the souvenirs, now collectors items, I would think. Luckily I have alot of snapshots - which I put on a disc for my 40th Anniversary class reunion schoolmates.
I was there at 4 years old, youngest of 4 kids. My parents bought the family from Bound Brook NJ. I have vague memories of the fair, one thing I do recall clearly is my parents buying me a Frisbee while there. Notice how so few people in the video are overweight? Unlike today.
The world's fair was really amazing. I was only 3-4 and remember some of the exhibits clearly to this day! its a small world with the puppets from around the world, an exhibit with a talking lincoln and a dog with a man with robe and pipe, the car and futuristic exhibits. Each exhibit was exciting and very interesting. The park itself was huge and clean. The wonderful food and entertainment from all over the world. The years after in the 60s and 70s we'd go often once the fair left. The hall of science, the farm, the zoo, and the indoor ice skating rink were amazing. the theater in the park with huge world map and model of nyc. Great times and happy memories, well maintained park, and safe.
This Fair made a huge impression on us very young children. I remember the most beautiful merry-go-round w hand painted horses, I wanted to touch them all. @@ps_nyisgone
My family and I visited New York's World Fair in the summer of 1965 after we returned from South Vietnam. My aunt and uncle who lived in Long Island took us to the World Fair. I was seven years old and I still remembered the world fair. My two favorite rides were the future world and the electricity in the building.
Amazing to see how well dressed everyone was in the crowds for this event. Now we have people going to amusement parks and events in wife-beater T-shirts and pants hanging off of their ass while women wear hoochie shorts and tops. I'd love to turn the clock back and go back to the 60's. It was a better time back then. I do miss those years. Even though I was a child of the 60's, I grew up with respect for adults and myself, unlike kids of today.
yoshiqwe aj THANK U! whenever I hear people praise and glorify this time period I'm just like WTF? Do u not understand people's rights were stripped away based off color,religion, sex ,& sexual orientation...what was great snout that? Uhh the disrespect nd just selfishness...
"Better time" is relative. I'm glad I can wear comfy clothes and not have to wear heels, stockings, girdles, etc to go see a baseball game or go to the movies. And for blacks, minorities, gays, lots of women, that was not such a great time. And for all those drafted for the Vietnam War. Not so great that. I find most people dress fine. Yes, there are those who really have no sense of public decorum, but most folks I see are covered up fine. I was at that fair...and it was a lot of walking. Lots of exhibits. Walking in 4 inch heels and a tight dress with a girdle would have felt like a nightmare to me. I'd rather wear sneakers and jeans.
Look at who the "kids of today" are raised by. And look at how those parents dress when you see them in airports and at Disney today - they aren't exactly J. Crew models.
never been to new york or even usa but im in love with things in there. this video brought me back as if i was there, thankyouuu i was born in 1993, and somehow i can easily fall for old times music and videos, i grew up with them. thanks to my parents, i keep the old soul in me growing.
I’m all for dressing well but oh my goodness seeing some women in high heels and walking through the fair, make my feet hurt by just looking at them lol. A nice pair of comfy sneakers or flats would be my preference.
I wish there could be a modern-day World's Fair that's as good as this one was. Everything was just so grandiose, vibrant, and full of life, plus the aesthetic style of the mid-20th century was truly unique. If I ever invent time travel, this is the first place/time I'm going to, because aside from the political incorrectness hinted at by this video it seems like one of the coolest fairs to ever take place.
Honestly, when I go to EPCOT and Magic Kingdom’s Tomorrowland , I seriously feel some of this vibe. You can see how the fair inspired Walt in so many ways. It is expensive but it’s one of those bucket list visits well worth going to. Go in late September during the weekday though. Literally every ride was between a 5-15 minute wait.
How I wish I was able to go to this fair. It really seems like it was one of the last true periods of optimism we had before Vietnam. And no, I wasn't close to experiencing this; I was born in 1996.
I'll never forget that part where the two men chased those two women all around the fair! I went there with my brother in 1965--the Fair's last year to date (I was only 5)!
If the world could be this innocent again! I was at the NY World's Fair when I was 10 years old. I still remember being there and what a great time we had. Disney's EPCOT Center was fashioned after the World's Fair. So, if you want to get the flavor of the World's Fair, make a trip to Orlando and visit EPCOT. It's not as good as the World's Fair was, but you will have a similar experience. It's one of the best Disney parks, if not the best.
I visit the towers/pavilion so much and sneak in underground the control rooms and pavilion all the time it’s just so beautiful that’s why i say that as such a fan of it.
People definitely were more prideful back then. Not wverhthinf camw down to dollars and cents. Companies wanted to put out the best of the best and not do things on the cheap. Take Disney for instance, his philosophy was: "Do a good job. You don’t have to worry about the money; it will take care of itself." He knew it didn't matter what he spent, if it was true quality the people would always come and pay to see it and it would thwn be worth iys weight in gold. Now look at modern Disney (along with many big corporations) - treat the customers like cattle, raise prices but hardly improve or reinvest and in the rare occasion when anything new is introduced, its shoddy craftsmanship, charmless and lacking. Very sad what the American culture has become. Mass consumption of mediocrity. My grandparents and parents always bought American made because they considered American ingenuity and workmanship, the finest in the whole world. Now, most everything is cheap Chinese imports
WOW! As many games as I went to at Shea Stadium and Citi Field, I NEVER would have imagined all of this went on right on the same grounds! It is a shame they haven't done another one since....56 years and counting. I am 39 and feel like I was robbed of something special growing up in Queens and something like this no longer took place.
I was 4 when I went. My father was with the Bell Telephone Co. and was involved in the installation of the phone system there at the ‘’64 WF. We lived across the river in New Jersey , so it wasn’t a long trip for us. He took a picture of me eating a snack in front of the Unisphere.
I remember visiting with my parents. I was nine years old. For some reason, the Sudan pavilion sticks out in my mind, especially various agricultural products on display. I know that my parents came home with some souvenirs, including an African mask and statue (the latter I still have) and a sword in a leather casing (from Pakistan, I think). I also remember the dolls singing "It's a Small World, After All." Another memory that sticks out in my mind: It was the first time I saw Indian women in saris. I exclaimed about it to my mother, but she shushed me and told me not to point, as that was rude. Still, getting to see people from so many countries, as well as the pavilions and exhibits, was an enrichment in of itself.
I was 10 years old when my family went to this fair in NY. I remember many of the rides because I had a lot more fun on them. We really enjoyed this fair. We lived in Bloomfield Hills, Mich very close to George and Lenore Romney's family
The park of Flushing Meadows is what is there now. The Unisphere still exists and is beautiful. One of the pavilions (the wavy building seen in the above video) in now the Queens museum of Science. An older pavilion from an earlier fair is the Queens museum of art, and still has one of the world's fair exhibits. A number of the fountains are still there, as are a number of the sculptures. The remains of the UFO like towers and one of the auditoriums still stand, but in a dilapidated state.
Best memory of the fair: Watching the weightlifting Olympic tryouts in August '64. Norb Schmansky. Frank Capsouras, Tommy Kono. Joe Puleo. Bill March. Lou Reike. John Gourgot. Great memories for an impressionable 15 year old with aspirations of Olympic glory himself.
If you lived in Queens the World's Fair was a place to visit multiple times. I remember going in the daytime, Getting our hands stamped taking the train home and coming back at night for fireworks. My Mom kept a journal of our visits and the prices of things are hilarious now. They had a beer for 5cents for example and all those rides and exhibits were covered by your single $1.50 entrance tkt.
I was 12 the summer of '64; one night there was a wrong announcement for the fireworks & people were walking in that direction when the show started off at a 90-degree angle, but the crowd didn't turn in unison. There was a "human crush" at that intersection that almost turned lethal.
I was only 6 in 1964 and so I cannot remember everything, but I do remember how clean everything was. In fact, most everywhere was clean back in those days, even the streets in Flushing where we lived.
I'm glad I'm not the only one that remembers, I miss the RKO theater and the gold course right off the Whitestone expressway, I can go on forever. I hate the way Flushing looks now, such a DUMP.
@@GoodfellasNYC at 7 years old I saw the greatest show on Earth in the RKO keys from the balcony what a theater what a structure and what a shame. Yeah I spend 34 years of my life in auburndale Queens which is part of flushing and it is really a sad place and so is the city unfortunately. I would never live in the confines of the boroughs again
@@GoodfellasNYC I love Long Island and I do love the culture and the art that the city of Fords and I plan to spend part of retirement visiting those places I've never had a chance to visit. I could never live in the south for many reasons maybe on the west coast but my home is New York taxes and all!
The one where the seats went rising up into the theater was the IBM Pavilion. Once in there (I was 8 yrs. old), I didn't know what the heck they were talking about.
I lived in Corona but was 4 when the fair was there ...over time I saw all the great structures abandoned and obliterated by nature vandalism and the wrecking ball ...this is a great video it shows how great America and Americans were in 1964 as other posters have noted people today don't have the same respect for places or each other anymore ...they also don't have the same drive scientifically we in fact truly have been dumbed down ... most of the people you see in this video are probably in the next world now at the big fair in the sky
Amen to that brother! It was on my "must see list" 2 years ago when my son took me to the city. I too would have been for years old then. Tried to imagine what that may have been like.
One more thing: I was there. We visited when I was nearly 5 years old and I clearly remember the moving audience seats and an animatronic show. But the whole point was to showcase what the world could be.
I somehow came across this while searching "SpaceX". If I had a time machine this would definitely be a stop. The 60's were probably that last years before our government started turning into the oligarchy it is today. Sad.
It could be said this was the tail end of when everyone dressed up and a positive feel...a lot of changes were on the horizon after 64 some very good some not so
Born in 1960 in Queens NYC my earliest memories are attending the Worlds Fair in the summer# of ‘64 and ‘65 just before my 4th and 5th birthdays. I remember so much of our visits there. And later on a 3rd grade class trip in 1968 to what was left including the science museum and “helicopter” ride looking down at a miniature recreation of the city. Our family drove down to WDW in July 1973 in our enormous ‘71 Plymouth Fury station wagon (only the Magic Kingdom was open then). I got to ride on Its a Small World and Carousel of Progress again. In the 1980s I got to visit WDW again with my wife and in the 1990s and later with our sons. We showed them souvenirs and pictures and told them about the Fair enough to make them sick of it. My wife remembers visiting the Fair as well. She remembers putting coins in a machine that molded a dinosaur for her that smelled like deadly chemicals. One of the General Foods arches is now in front of a shopping center near our house. Good memories. I wish I could go back in time.
I was nowhere near born yet, but watching it now, I can't help but realize what a massive undertaking this was. The scale of this was phenomenal and something to behold. They could never do anything like now.
I was there with my family when I was 6. Yes, I still remember much of the visit. I remember the “moving sidewalks.” And then the telephone where you could see the other person’s face. That was the future.
My parents went to this fair.It was quite the experience. Too bad they dont have a World's Fair anymore.I last one that I remember was in the 80's in Knoxville,TN. Very historic footage,Thanks for posting!
They have them overseas. In the last thirty years there have been world's fairs in Spain, Italy, Germany, Korea, Japan, and China. They are enormously expensive to construct and operate. The recent fair in Milan cost 1.3 billion dollars. The last world's fair in the U.S., held in New Orleans in 1984, went bankrupt before it closed.
I remembered the World Fair in Knoxville in 1982. I visited there and it was disappointed. It was a marketing showcase, and it was small. It was not like the huge spectacular New York's World Fair in 1964-1965. My mom and I visited Vancouver's World Fair in 1986 and the World Fair in Seville, Spain in 1992. It was fairly okay. New York's World Fair was the best world fair for our lifetime experience, their innovation, technology and endeavors. 👍🤠👍
A lot of it is still there! The Unisphere, Observation Towers, New York State Pavilion, Circarama (now Queens Theatre), Hall of Science, Queens Museum of Art (took over the former NYC Pavillion), and Terrace on the Park (T-shaped building with rotating floor and helipad) are still there. The Towers and Pavillion (which was also used as a set in The Wiz) aren't in use anymore, though.
Anyone there? I was 12 (& tall) the summer of '64 & was with an older aunt & uncle. As night turned, a wrong loud-speaker announcement was made for a fireworks display & as people walked in that direction, the show started off at a 90-degree angle, but the huge crowd didn't turn in unison. There was a "crowd crush" at that 'intersection' that almost turned lethal; I couldn't inhale from the pressure & my feet left the ground. A woman started screaming; a man with her flailed at those around him. It was a very 'close' call.
I was born in the 70s and missed out on the Fair...I went many time to the park where it was held but only knew it when everything was gone and most of what was left was not kept up to well. Many old pavillions locked up and not in use. I always figured they would have another by the time I got older. My grandma would always say theyll have another 25 years after theb64 one. So I figured by 1989 would be the next one but 89 came and went and no new Fair and now 30 years more and still none. So there may not be another but boy we could use one in todays society big time.
I grew up on Long Island. Every time we went into the city, we'd pass by the Unisphere and I'd always my dad about it. And I would always see it every time we flew into JFK airport returning from a plane trip. I got to actually go into the Park about twenty years ago. The Unisphere is still in good condition.
The Billie Jean King Tennis Center is adjacent to the fairgrounds (Now one of the largest parks in New York) and, yes, it holds the US Open every year.
It was all so beautiful!! Those were the days, when people took pride in their appearance and had respect for property. So different today, where everything is a mess. I went to the Fair many times and remember it well. Wonderful memories!!!
This was one of the old educational short films and newsreels which aired on The History Channel Classroom on weekday mornings between 6:30 and 7 back around 2003-2005. I remember these films, does anyone remember any other ones? The Golden Door (Ellis Island 1972) Mao Tse-tung: Life and Legacy Nixon’s Visit to China Blitzkrieg Land Rush of 1889 King Tut (Tutankhamun) one of the Olympic Winter Games a Catholic American woman who was a Winter Olympic speed skater LBJ’s speech "Why We Are in Vietnam" an in-color, more modern video about growing either cotton or flax
Rolly Crump is all over this fair. If you don't know the name, you should google him. One of Disney's best artists and Imagineers who we just lost this year.
Thanks for the memories! I was 9 years old at the Indonesian Pavilion with my school class, we saw the shadow puppet show, ate spicy lunch (hot!) and were given bamboo snakes as souvenirs. We all had a great time!
That is great! My parents took me to that fair…I was 1 year old. This was a time when we all had the idea that the USA was not only going to reach the moon, but with the cooperation of other countries, improve the whole world.
In 1978, Flushing Meadows-Corona Park, as it is now called, became the home of the United States Tennis Association.. The former Singer Bowl, later renamed Louis Armstrong Stadium, was the tournament's primary venue until the larger Arthur Ashe Stadium was built on the site of the former Federal Pavilion. Collectively, the complex is called the USTA National Tennis Center... while it is indeed on the location of the former Fair Grounds, The Fair Is Long Gone.. that's what i was saying...
@@SkyDroneUsa It was NOT pro-UN whatever; the fair, under Robert Moses, didn't even qualify for "International World's Fair" status; it was loaded with more US corporate exhibits than anything else. THAT'S what the people "ate up" - the future as deemed by their gadgets & gizmos - AND the Belgian waffles. The talking "Animatronic" Abraham Lincoln that was later at Calif. Disneyland was originally showcased as the prime feature of the State of Illinois Pavilion ~ hardly UN propaganda; you're just spouting your own brand of it.
@@SkyDroneUsa:250% correct! Then when I was a teen I never thought of it as U.N. or international. Of course today what Wallace saw correctly the U.S. has become cancerous New York Shitty-melting pot!
I was there when I was 15 but only for an hour or so because I was at the tail end of the mumps which was going around throughtout the country and the fair was closing in a week or so. I left bent over with cramps. Saw the Dupont chemistry pavillion, it's a small world(Disney), the Ford future cars and highway, first ever video phones(not hand as today), monorail but didn't go on it. Innocent times before Vietnam. Funny I had the mumps then and now today we've got COVID-19!
The US Tennis Arthut Ashe stadium most certainly is on the old fairgrounds. It sits smack on the site of the United States Pavilion which was torn down in 19787.
Cool video. I wanted to get a peek at the lights that were installed for the fair. I walk underneath them every weekend as many of them were relocated to the Orange County Fair Grounds in Middletown, NY.
while the the tennis center is on the Flushing Meadows Park grounds, it isn't really a part of the old Fair grounds... The NY State Pavilion still stands, but it is a rusted hulk... the Hall Of Science building needs attention... the Unisphere still stands proudly, but even that is a pale reminder of the great attraction that it once was... it's sad to see what's has been allowed to happen to this historic area...
enjoyed the world's fair back in the day's, this place was magical for any kid,and yes people were different, styles were different which I appreciate, sad when they closed it,now where ever you go to for fun with your family you have to be very careful, we live in a era with no respect, half ass people who dress really tacky ,yet you criticized what was then to now no comparison,hello.
TRUE! I agree with you. I found that stalking footage pretty bizarre! But at least there were 2 girls and 2 guys. Not like one pervert following one attractive young woman. This video is quite corny. But at some level, nostalgic and entertaining.
This is so unacceptable, such a beautiful park turned into a dangerous park. The surrounding neighborhoods were so safe and so peaceful to live in. Now it's a complete DUMP. This includes jackson heights, corona, Elmhurst, Flushing and so on. How sad.
The US Open does take place on the fairgrounds, you are right. The stadium sits on the site of the United States Pavilion which was demolished in 1977 due to vandalism.
I have hanging on my upstairs wall a chalk drawing of myself done at the fair, I was 8 years old. I was one of 10 children, Mom and Dad brought us in groups. Just my sister and I went that day, still remember that wonderful day.
THANKS SO MUCH for uploading this.. For better, or for worse, that world is long gone... the magic never to be recaptured.. The Fair epitomized a magical moment in time for a 13 year old kid, when all the promises of the future seemed just around the corner.. I can still hear the sounds, smell the smells.. i can still taste that Belgian Waffle.. i still remember the Futurama, and the GM pavilions..
where'd it all go.. it seems as if somehow, we've lost sight of that future...
Thanks for the memories. My late husband and I went to the Fair on our honeymoon in Oct. 1964. We drove from Milwaukee WI for it. It was truly amazing.
I’m sorry for the loss of your husband ma’am
Thanks so much for posting this video! I was there when I was only seven years old in the summer of 1965 while on vacation with my parents, brother and sister. We visited The Fair on our way back from Niagara Falls as we headed home to Philadelphia. It was a day I'll always remember with great fondness. Oh how I would love to go back in time and do it again. My most notable memory of that day was visiting Sinclair Dinoland and getting a wax Brontosaurus from the Mold-A-Rama machine just outside the Dinoland walls. I miss you dear Dad and Sister. I'll see you in Heaven one day!
billr111 Thanks for the comments, Bill!
Sure didn't you see it at 13:58?
Hey . Serious question was this fair segregated?
@@famousbowl9926 No. If you notice, there was a black Scout leader in the film, and my father took me and a friend that was African-American (a real one.)
@@Sir-RayIt was if black people weren't actively participating. They sometimes do things that are prohibitive in a softer way. Stuff like making admission to high priced. Or other nonsense that would discourage us from attending whatever that may have been where we decided we could not support that fair.
My parents took me to the fair. I was 8 years old. We rode the Blue Subway cars to it. I remember the Greyhound transport cars and the Belgin Waffles!
Thanks for posting this video. My parents met at the 1964 World's Fair. They often mention how truly special it was. My father in particular mentions the Belgian waffles.
Yes!! My mother said its the only thing she vividly remembers because a sailor pinched her butt at the waffle pavilion and my father punched him out!
I went there 29 times. Sprite & Tab introduced there. The GE exhibit was great. I believe it was moved and it exists somewhere else now.
My dad took me to this fair when I was six yrs old. That set the scene for many fab vacays with him over the years and certainly lit the fire for travel in me.
Thanks Dad, RIP.
I visited 6 times during 1964 and 1965. These films bring back memories more vividly than I thought they could. "Call Greyhound...and leave the driving to us!"
The 64 WF looks to me, in 2021, just as exciting and engaging as it was back then. I'd go in a heartbeat today.
I went to the fair when I was 15. At the parker pavilion I got a pen pal. I still keep in touch with my pen pal. We exchange Christmas cards every year.
Absolutely CHARMING!
I was there also when I was 15 but unfortunately I was at the tail end of the mumps which was going on throughout the country if you can remember. I had to leave after an hour by myself bent over with stomach cramps. Saw the chemistry DuPont pavillion, it's a small world(Disney), the future Ford cars, video phones(not hand-held like today), monrail(didn't go on it).
Innocent times before Vietnam. Funny I had the mumps then and who would have imagined COVID-19 today?
Monica-NJ how wonderful!! This made my day.
@@roberttelarket4934 - and only four years later during the winter of '68 the flu pandemic killed 10x as many people as Co19, yet I don't recall the world being shut down for that.
@@salnaturile8653: Sal I don't remember the flu of 1968 at all! Vietnam was raging and I was shaking because of the draft!!! Certainly don't remember 10x as many died!!! Lets me now rethink about today's situation and all governments!
I was there at 6 years old. Still leaves an indelible imprint on my mind. My family took a bus from the local school in Montdale, PA. I was most impressed by seeing people from all over the world. IThe Disney exhibit "It's a Small World" was amazing, still remember what that was like.
I was there at 6 as well…and still have memories as well. We have old family 8mm footage.
I went for one week in 1964 I was 19 years old. I have great memories of that visit. It was my 1st time in NYC
I was born in the 80s and would have loved to have attended. What got me interested as a kid was that the Mustang was unveiled there on 4-17 at the Ford pavilion. Ever since then I have tried to watch and read as much as I can about it. What a truly incredible time and how sad the future turned out.
Went with my Fam in ‘64 when I was four. Would love to go back with Mom & Dad & stroll around & talk with them .
I was 6 years old...never forget it living so close in Astoria Queens.
This was one of the biggest highlights of my childhood. Went with my fourth grade class, then again with my mom. Still have the souvenirs, now collectors items, I would think. Luckily I have alot of snapshots - which I put on a disc for my 40th Anniversary class reunion schoolmates.
What a great and wonderful time I had at this fair. Hopefully the one coming in 2027 to Minnesota will be half as good.
I was there at 4 years old, youngest of 4 kids. My parents bought the family from Bound Brook NJ. I have vague memories of the fair, one thing I do recall clearly is my parents buying me a Frisbee while there. Notice how so few people in the video are overweight? Unlike today.
I remember the Danish playground and was so irritated that we didn't have something that cool back home.
I was 4 TOO! Still remember everything
The world's fair was really amazing. I was only 3-4 and remember some of the exhibits clearly to this day! its a small world with the puppets from around the world, an exhibit with a talking lincoln and a dog with a man with robe and pipe, the car and futuristic exhibits. Each exhibit was exciting and very interesting. The park itself was huge and clean. The wonderful food and entertainment from all over the world. The years after in the 60s and 70s we'd go often once the fair left. The hall of science, the farm, the zoo, and the indoor ice skating rink were amazing. the theater in the park with huge world map and model of nyc. Great times and happy memories, well maintained park, and safe.
This Fair made a huge impression on us very young children. I remember the most beautiful merry-go-round w hand painted horses, I wanted to touch them all. @@ps_nyisgone
A delightful trip back it time, over half a century ago! Thanks for sharing this!
My family and I visited New York's World Fair in the summer of 1965 after we returned from South Vietnam. My aunt and uncle who lived in Long Island took us to the World Fair. I was seven years old and I still remembered the world fair. My two favorite rides were the future world and the electricity in the building.
Amazing to see how well dressed everyone was in the crowds for this event. Now we have people going to amusement parks and events in wife-beater T-shirts and pants hanging off of their ass while women wear hoochie shorts and tops. I'd love to turn the clock back and go back to the 60's. It was a better time back then. I do miss those years. Even though I was a child of the 60's, I grew up with respect for adults and myself, unlike kids of today.
1964 was not so great for everyone. Perhaps we can stay in our current time and just require people to show respect and dress better.
64 wasn't good for people of color or women or lgbtq. So just straight white men
yoshiqwe aj THANK U! whenever I hear people praise and glorify this time period I'm just like WTF? Do u not understand people's rights were stripped away based off color,religion, sex ,& sexual orientation...what was great snout that? Uhh the disrespect nd just selfishness...
"Better time" is relative. I'm glad I can wear comfy clothes and not have to wear heels, stockings, girdles, etc to go see a baseball game or go to the movies.
And for blacks, minorities, gays, lots of women, that was not such a great time. And for all those drafted for the Vietnam War. Not so great that.
I find most people dress fine. Yes, there are those who really have no sense of public decorum, but most folks I see are covered up fine.
I was at that fair...and it was a lot of walking. Lots of exhibits. Walking in 4 inch heels and a tight dress with a girdle would have felt like a nightmare to me. I'd rather wear sneakers and jeans.
Look at who the "kids of today" are raised by. And look at how those parents dress when you see them in airports and at Disney today - they aren't exactly J. Crew models.
never been to new york or even usa but im in love with things in there. this video brought me back as if i was there, thankyouuu
i was born in 1993, and somehow i can easily fall for old times music and videos, i grew up with them. thanks to my parents, i keep the old soul in me growing.
My dad and my grandparents took all six of us kids in 1965. We got there early and left late. It was amazing!
Look how nice everyone looked! today, most everyone would be wearing shorts and flip flops and look down checking glued to their smart phones.
You forgot to mention the mis-sized shirts, plumber's butts, and unkempt hair
Hardly any women hiding 50 lbs. of flab under loose tops and dresses.
And common skin tattoos nowadays.
I’m all for dressing well but oh my goodness seeing some women in high heels and walking through the fair, make my feet hurt by just looking at them lol. A nice pair of comfy sneakers or flats would be my preference.
Shredded clothes. Pride is gone.
That older pavilion (Queens Museum) was saved from the 1938-40 World's Fair. It was the New York Pavilion then, and again for the '64-5 fair.
I wish there could be a modern-day World's Fair that's as good as this one was. Everything was just so grandiose, vibrant, and full of life, plus the aesthetic style of the mid-20th century was truly unique. If I ever invent time travel, this is the first place/time I'm going to, because aside from the political incorrectness hinted at by this video it seems like one of the coolest fairs to ever take place.
Honestly, when I go to EPCOT and Magic Kingdom’s Tomorrowland , I seriously feel some of this vibe. You can see how the fair inspired Walt in so many ways. It is expensive but it’s one of those bucket list visits well worth going to. Go in late September during the weekday though. Literally every ride was between a 5-15 minute wait.
@@Iris-zq5mq Agreed. EPCOT has that World's Fair vibe.
@@Iris-zq5mqdisney actually helped with the designs for this. Disney opened in 55 this was 64.
Thanks for the footage! People are beautiful, slim and well dressed!
Wish I could travel back in time
How I wish I was able to go to this fair. It really seems like it was one of the last true periods of optimism we had before Vietnam.
And no, I wasn't close to experiencing this; I was born in 1996.
Agreed - It's like a NYC Disney World.
Static Announcement The war was already going on for 9 years @ this point.
RIP World's Fair - 1800s to 1990s
i was n 1984 but i would loved to go back n time n get on magical skyway
@@Myfootage 13:09 My Country Are Out For NYWF Because Our First President . freaking jerk .
It was beautiful. We went on a school trip during my freshman year in high school.
Thank you for uploading the video, now every-time I ride my bicycle around the Uni sphere I can recall back how this place once looked like.
I'll never forget that part where the two men chased those two women all around the fair! I went there with my brother in 1965--the Fair's last year to date (I was only 5)!
Those kooky kids!
The two guys chasing the girls were taken from this video for the The Zombies - Time Of The Season music video. Interesting.
If the world could be this innocent again! I was at the NY World's Fair when I was 10 years old. I still remember being there and what a great time we had. Disney's EPCOT Center was fashioned after the World's Fair. So, if you want to get the flavor of the World's Fair, make a trip to Orlando and visit EPCOT. It's not as good as the World's Fair was, but you will have a similar experience. It's one of the best Disney parks, if not the best.
If only I could just jump into this screen for a little while
Well then, you must be a fan of the great Twilight Zone episode . . . "A Stop at Willoughby".
Steve Witte Oh yeah for sure haha i could already imagine it going down, but i didn’t mean literally
I visit the towers/pavilion so much and sneak in underground the control rooms and pavilion all the time it’s just so beautiful that’s why i say that as such a fan of it.
Me and u both
Same
I was ten years old when I went to that fair. I got lost and had a blast.
I was 7 years old when this fair opened. I doubt there will ever be anything like it again.
People definitely were more prideful back then. Not wverhthinf camw down to dollars and cents. Companies wanted to put out the best of the best and not do things on the cheap. Take Disney for instance, his philosophy was: "Do a good job. You don’t have to worry about the money; it will take care of itself." He knew it didn't matter what he spent, if it was true quality the people would always come and pay to see it and it would thwn be worth iys weight in gold.
Now look at modern Disney (along with many big corporations) - treat the customers like cattle, raise prices but hardly improve or reinvest and in the rare occasion when anything new is introduced, its shoddy craftsmanship, charmless and lacking.
Very sad what the American culture has become. Mass consumption of mediocrity. My grandparents and parents always bought American made because they considered American ingenuity and workmanship, the finest in the whole world.
Now, most everything is cheap Chinese imports
Imagine the crime? This happens to be a family safe event.
WOW! As many games as I went to at Shea Stadium and Citi Field, I NEVER would have imagined all of this went on right on the same grounds!
It is a shame they haven't done another one since....56 years and counting. I am 39 and feel like I was robbed of something special growing up in Queens and something like this no longer took place.
The city lost too much money on this fair for some reason and it caused fiscal problems so they never did it again.
If I could just jump into this video...
Me and u both
Same!!
I was 4 when I went. My father was with the Bell Telephone Co. and was involved in the installation of the phone system there at the ‘’64 WF. We lived across the river in New Jersey , so it wasn’t a long trip for us. He took a picture of me eating a snack in front of the Unisphere.
I remember visiting with my parents. I was nine years old. For some reason, the Sudan pavilion sticks out in my mind, especially various agricultural products on display.
I know that my parents came home with some souvenirs, including an African mask and statue (the latter I still have) and a sword in a leather casing (from Pakistan, I think). I also remember the dolls singing "It's a Small World, After All."
Another memory that sticks out in my mind: It was the first time I saw Indian women in saris. I exclaimed about it to my mother, but she shushed me and told me not to point, as that was rude. Still, getting to see people from so many countries, as well as the pavilions and exhibits, was an enrichment in of itself.
I was 10 years old when my family went to this fair in NY. I remember many of the rides because I had a lot more fun on them. We really enjoyed this fair. We lived in Bloomfield Hills, Mich very close to George and Lenore Romney's family
Went to countless Mets games back then. Afterwards to the Fair!!
it’s amazing how much Disney was inspired!
Disney invented many of the attractions at the NY World's Fair. After the fair was over he moved them to Epcot.
The park of Flushing Meadows is what is there now. The Unisphere still exists and is beautiful. One of the pavilions (the wavy building seen in the above video) in now the Queens museum of Science. An older pavilion from an earlier fair is the Queens museum of art, and still has one of the world's fair exhibits. A number of the fountains are still there, as are a number of the sculptures. The remains of the UFO like towers and one of the auditoriums still stand, but in a dilapidated state.
It was a very exciting time and I'm glad that I was a part of it.
Come on people! Just enjoy the footage and stop projecting your modern day problems and insecurities onto it!
THANK YOU!!
TallaBammahassee But the comment show how far we have come (in the wrong direction).
TallaBammahassee I love the Ford Mustangs. I went there.
Best memory of the fair: Watching the weightlifting Olympic tryouts in August '64. Norb Schmansky. Frank Capsouras, Tommy Kono. Joe Puleo. Bill March. Lou Reike. John Gourgot. Great memories for an impressionable 15 year old with aspirations of Olympic glory himself.
mark miller Thanks for the comments, Mark - Great memories!
I walk around this park just about everyday, what a difference, there’s not much left from 1964.
If you lived in Queens the World's Fair was a place to visit multiple times. I remember going in the daytime, Getting our hands stamped taking the train home and coming back at night for fireworks. My Mom kept a journal of our visits and the prices of things are hilarious now. They had a beer for 5cents for example and all those rides and exhibits were covered by your single $1.50 entrance tkt.
grew up in Astoria by the Hellgate Bridge. Went to the fair everyday.
Grew up in Rego Park, so we went quite a number of times! I still remember the Beatles, Peter & Gordon, Mary Wells on my transistor radio @ the Fair!
I was 12 the summer of '64; one night there was a wrong announcement for the fireworks & people were walking in that direction when the show started off at a 90-degree angle, but the crowd didn't turn in unison. There was a "human crush" at that intersection that almost turned lethal.
Donald Trump is from Queens. Does anyone know if he was there?
Flushing was great back then
I was only 6 in 1964 and so I cannot remember everything, but I do remember how clean everything was. In fact, most everywhere was clean back in those days, even the streets in Flushing where we lived.
I'm glad I'm not the only one that remembers, I miss the RKO theater and the gold course right off the Whitestone expressway, I can go on forever. I hate the way Flushing looks now, such a DUMP.
@@GoodfellasNYC at 7 years old I saw the greatest show on Earth in the RKO keys from the balcony what a theater what a structure and what a shame. Yeah I spend 34 years of my life in auburndale Queens which is part of flushing and it is really a sad place and so is the city unfortunately. I would never live in the confines of the boroughs again
@@stephenj.schneider5185 me neither. That's why I moved out of the city and moved south.
@@stephenj.schneider5185 i hope you did the same thing, sir.
@@GoodfellasNYC I love Long Island and I do love the culture and the art that the city of Fords and I plan to spend part of retirement visiting those places I've never had a chance to visit. I could never live in the south for many reasons maybe on the west coast but my home is New York taxes and all!
I wish I could have gone. It looks so nice and fun
I remember that fair like it was yesterday - I was only 7 and living on long Island we went often
The one where the seats went rising up into the theater was the IBM Pavilion. Once in there (I was 8 yrs. old), I didn't know what the heck they were talking about.
I lived in Corona but was 4 when the fair was there ...over time I saw all the great structures abandoned and obliterated by nature vandalism and the wrecking ball ...this is a great video it shows how great America and Americans were in 1964 as other posters have noted people today don't have the same respect for places or each other anymore ...they also don't have the same drive scientifically we in fact truly have been dumbed down ... most of the people you see in this video are probably in the next world now at the big fair in the sky
Amen to that brother! It was on my "must see list" 2 years ago when my son took me to the city. I too would have been for years old then. Tried to imagine what that may have been like.
You are so on point. I’ve lost hope for all humanity. Because of our violent nature we are destined to destroy ourselves and this planet eventually.
One more thing: I was there. We visited when I was nearly 5 years old and I clearly remember the moving audience seats and an animatronic show. But the whole point was to showcase what the world could be.
The Carousel of Progress! That is now at Tomorrowland in Magic kingdom.
60yrs later, we want to go back. The future doesn't look so glamorous anymore, not even to Jorge Jetson and his wife.
I somehow came across this while searching "SpaceX". If I had a time machine this would definitely be a stop. The 60's were probably that last years before our government started turning into the oligarchy it is today. Sad.
Agreed. It is depressing to think that we may have outlived the greatest decade in the history of mankind, the 1960's.
LagrangePoint: Your are mistaken it has always been an oligarchy and also a plutocracy!!!
Ah, 1964, the last year with a '50s feel to it and right before the disaster in South East Asia.
It could be said this was the tail end of when everyone dressed up and a positive feel...a lot of changes were on the horizon after 64 some very good some not so
Change of the coin.
Like wise I was a kid what a magical time
This my favorite to watch on UA-cam
Born in 1960 in Queens NYC my earliest memories are attending the Worlds Fair in the summer# of ‘64 and ‘65 just before my 4th and 5th birthdays. I remember so much of our visits there. And later on a 3rd grade class trip in 1968 to what was left including the science museum and “helicopter” ride looking down at a miniature recreation of the city. Our family drove down to WDW in July 1973 in our enormous ‘71 Plymouth Fury station wagon (only the Magic Kingdom was open then). I got to ride on Its a Small World and Carousel of Progress again. In the 1980s I got to visit WDW again with my wife and in the 1990s and later with our sons. We showed them souvenirs and pictures and told them about the Fair enough to make them sick of it. My wife remembers visiting the Fair as well. She remembers putting coins in a machine that molded a dinosaur for her that smelled like deadly chemicals. One of the General Foods arches is now in front of a shopping center near our house.
Good memories. I wish I could go back in time.
I was nowhere near born yet, but watching it now, I can't help but realize what a massive undertaking this was. The scale of this was phenomenal and something to behold. They could never do anything like now.
Why not?
I was there with my family when I was 6. Yes, I still remember much of the visit. I remember the “moving sidewalks.” And then the telephone where you could see the other person’s face. That was the future.
Ive been going to this park almost all my life (im 14 lol) wow I cant never thought about how it was years before
My parents went to this fair.It was quite the experience. Too bad they dont have a World's Fair anymore.I last one that I remember was in the 80's in Knoxville,TN. Very historic footage,Thanks for posting!
GEMINITREKKER Right now in Milan Italy, they are having a world's fair, but I don't think the theme allows for a lot of display of technology.
The WOD FIR, you mean?
They have them overseas. In the last thirty years there have been world's fairs in Spain, Italy, Germany, Korea, Japan, and China. They are enormously expensive to construct and operate. The recent fair in Milan cost 1.3 billion dollars. The last world's fair in the U.S., held in New Orleans in 1984, went bankrupt before it closed.
I remembered the World Fair in Knoxville in 1982. I visited there and it was disappointed. It was a marketing showcase, and it was small. It was not like the huge spectacular New York's World Fair in 1964-1965. My mom and I visited Vancouver's World Fair in 1986 and the World Fair in Seville, Spain in 1992. It was fairly okay. New York's World Fair was the best world fair for our lifetime experience, their innovation, technology and endeavors. 👍🤠👍
A lot of it is still there! The Unisphere, Observation Towers, New York State Pavilion, Circarama (now Queens Theatre), Hall of Science, Queens Museum of Art (took over the former NYC Pavillion), and Terrace on the Park (T-shaped building with rotating floor and helipad) are still there. The Towers and Pavillion (which was also used as a set in The Wiz) aren't in use anymore, though.
THE TOWERS AND PAVILION ARE STILL THERE.
@@MICHGO1 But they are in really bad condition.
Anyone there? I was 12 (& tall) the summer of '64 & was with an older aunt & uncle. As night turned, a wrong loud-speaker announcement was made for a fireworks display & as people walked in that direction, the show started off at a 90-degree angle, but the huge crowd didn't turn in unison. There was a "crowd crush" at that 'intersection' that almost turned lethal; I couldn't inhale from the pressure & my feet left the ground. A woman started screaming; a man with her flailed at those around him. It was a very 'close' call.
I was here in 1964, I was 3 years old, and I do remember it. though not completely, but like most children only the exciting parts, wink, lol.
Man I wasent alive in the 60s or 70s but like I bet it was cool and nice from what i see in new York cause ain't nothing like old New York that much
Thanks for posting this. I'd only seen in black and white before. Very nice.
Thank you for posting this!
TallaBammahassee You are welcome - Thanks for the comment!
I was born in the 70s and missed out on the Fair...I went many time to the park where it was held but only knew it when everything was gone and most of what was left was not kept up to well. Many old pavillions locked up and not in use. I always figured they would have another by the time I got older. My grandma would always say theyll have another 25 years after theb64 one. So I figured by 1989 would be the next one but 89 came and went and no new Fair and now 30 years more and still none. So there may not be another but boy we could use one in todays society big time.
I grew up on Long Island. Every time we went into the city, we'd pass by the Unisphere and I'd always my dad about it. And I would always see it every time we flew into JFK airport returning from a plane trip. I got to actually go into the Park about twenty years ago. The Unisphere is still in good condition.
I was there with my family.
The Billie Jean King Tennis Center is adjacent to the fairgrounds (Now one of the largest parks in New York) and, yes, it holds the US Open every year.
When people used to dress up, travel,eat, enjoy, pay taxes and government used to do actual work !
I know. I loved that about that time in history. As an 80's child, I wish it was still like this today.
Those really were the days. Picture what kind of vandalized, wrecked, graffiti-covered mess the building would be if the Fair was today!
JFK !!!
It was all so beautiful!!
Those were the days, when people took pride in their appearance and had respect for property. So different today, where everything is a mess.
I went to the Fair many times and remember it well. Wonderful memories!!!
This was one of the old educational short films and newsreels which aired on The History Channel Classroom on weekday mornings between 6:30 and 7 back around 2003-2005. I remember these films, does anyone remember any other ones?
The Golden Door (Ellis Island 1972)
Mao Tse-tung: Life and Legacy
Nixon’s Visit to China
Blitzkrieg
Land Rush of 1889
King Tut (Tutankhamun)
one of the Olympic Winter Games
a Catholic American woman who was a Winter Olympic speed skater
LBJ’s speech "Why We Are in Vietnam"
an in-color, more modern video about growing either cotton or flax
Rolly Crump is all over this fair. If you don't know the name, you should google him. One of Disney's best artists and Imagineers who we just lost this year.
Thanks for the memories! I was 9 years old at the Indonesian Pavilion with my school class, we saw the shadow puppet show, ate spicy lunch (hot!) and were given bamboo snakes as souvenirs. We all had a great time!
That is great! My parents took me to that fair…I was 1 year old. This was a time when we all had the idea that the USA was not only going to reach the moon, but with the cooperation of other countries, improve the whole world.
My dad went to the World’s Fair as a boy. His dad helped with and worked at the fair.
I would love to have the Unisphere on my gravestone.
In 1978, Flushing Meadows-Corona Park, as it is now called, became the home of the United States Tennis Association.. The former Singer Bowl, later renamed Louis Armstrong Stadium, was the tournament's primary venue until the larger Arthur Ashe Stadium was built on the site of the former Federal Pavilion. Collectively, the complex is called the USTA National Tennis Center... while it is indeed on the location of the former Fair Grounds, The Fair Is Long Gone.. that's what i was saying...
it's it's amazing how the future died
The Gamer Dragon The future didn’t die. They are right in track. This whole thing was UN propaganda and the people ate it up.
@@SkyDroneUsa It was NOT pro-UN whatever; the fair, under Robert Moses, didn't even qualify for "International World's Fair" status; it was loaded with more US corporate exhibits than anything else. THAT'S what the people "ate up" - the future as deemed by their gadgets & gizmos - AND the Belgian waffles. The talking "Animatronic" Abraham Lincoln that was later at Calif. Disneyland was originally showcased as the prime feature of the State of Illinois Pavilion ~ hardly UN propaganda; you're just spouting your own brand of it.
@@SkyDroneUsa:250% correct! Then when I was a teen I never thought of it as U.N. or international. Of course today what Wallace saw correctly the U.S. has become cancerous New York Shitty-melting pot!
The 1964 World's Fair was a symbol of corporatism, capitalism and racism.
@David Meller
"I would rather be racist than communist"
We used to sneak in on a regular basis!
That's when NYC was doing good, and life was so different.
Only ten years after this film, the city of New York was incredibly close to bankruptcy...
Uuuuuh... i mean I wasnt born at that time but 60's New York? Idk man.
Before the Vietnam War.
People were thinner then.
Grow up
I was there when I was 15 but only for an hour or so because I was at the tail end of the mumps which was going around throughtout the country and the fair was closing in a week or so. I left bent over with cramps. Saw the Dupont chemistry pavillion, it's a small world(Disney), the Ford future cars and highway, first ever video phones(not hand as today), monorail but didn't go on it.
Innocent times before Vietnam. Funny I had the mumps then and now today we've got COVID-19!
The US Tennis Arthut Ashe stadium most certainly is on the old fairgrounds. It sits smack on the site of the United States Pavilion which was torn down in 19787.
Cool video. I wanted to get a peek at the lights that were installed for the fair. I walk underneath them every weekend as many of them were relocated to the Orange County Fair Grounds in Middletown, NY.
Jefferson Lambert Thx for the comment and info, Jeff!
I grew up one mile from Orange County Fair grounds
while the the tennis center is on the Flushing Meadows Park grounds, it isn't really a part of the old Fair grounds... The NY State Pavilion still stands, but it is a rusted hulk... the Hall Of Science building needs attention... the Unisphere still stands proudly, but even that is a pale reminder of the great attraction that it once was... it's sad to see what's has been allowed to happen to this historic area...
Wow now people are all so casual when they go out lol
enjoyed the world's fair back in the day's, this place was magical for any kid,and yes people were different, styles were different which I appreciate, sad when they closed it,now where ever you go to for fun with your family you have to be very careful, we live in a era with no respect, half ass people who dress really tacky ,yet you criticized what was then to now no comparison,hello.
If you think these people dressed better than today, look at videos from the 1939
Fair. Men in suits, women with hats and gloves,etc.
You have wisely noted the ongoing de-evolution of man.
stevie68a it's too hot for that , GLOBAL WARMING
Yes, I was just about to post how well polished everyone looked even in the hot summer.
I would had loved to get on the magic sky way
TRUE! I agree with you. I found that stalking footage pretty bizarre! But at least there were 2 girls and 2 guys. Not like one pervert following one attractive young woman. This video is quite corny. But at some level, nostalgic and entertaining.
IT'S OK TO BE A CREEP AS LONG AS YOUR A BREEDER?
Carousel of progress in the video for any Disney fans
Outstanding video 👏👏👏
This is so unacceptable, such a beautiful park turned into a dangerous park. The surrounding neighborhoods were so safe and so peaceful to live in. Now it's a complete DUMP. This includes jackson heights, corona, Elmhurst, Flushing and so on. How sad.
The US Open does take place on the fairgrounds, you are right. The stadium sits on the site of the United States Pavilion which was demolished in 1977 due to vandalism.
THE PAVILION IS STILL THERE. IT WAS USED IN "MEN IN BLACK".
MICHGO1, that’s the New York State Pavilion you are referring to. The United States Pavilion was indeed demolished in 1977.