S ixty years have passed since the opening of the 1964-1965 New York World’s Fair, the last of the grand-tradition expositions in the U.S. There wer

A World’s Fair Could Be Just What We Need

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2024-09-29 00:30:03

S ixty years have passed since the opening of the 1964-1965 New York World’s Fair, the last of the grand-tradition expositions in the U.S. There were other world fairs that followed — the last one on U.S. soil came with the Louisiana World Exposition in 1984 — but none would compare in size or scope to the one in Flushing, Queens. For those who were lucky enough to attend, the New York fair was a magical fantasy world brought to life.

It may be time to resurrect that dreamworld. In fact, the history of world’s fairs indicates that it could be a cure for what ails the U.S. in 2024. The 1964-1965 Fair came at a tumultuous time — mere months after the assassination of President John F. Kennedy, amid a fraught period in the Cold War, with the Vietnam War growing and Civil Rights tensions roiling the country. All of this upheaval left Americans anxious and fearful. Yet, for attendees, the Fair suspended all these troubles, filling them with a buoyant sense of optimism and excitement for the future.

Once again in 2024, U.S. society is deeply fractured and many Americans fear for the future thanks to growing geopolitical conflicts, political polarization, climate change, the rising specter of authoritarianism, and the proliferation of AI. An epic world’s fair — an event that, historically, has provided visitors with a glimpse of a glorious future — could offer an antidote, or at least a balm, for this cultural storm.