New York City hosted a memorable World’s Fair in 1939 and 1940.
Unlike previous world’s fairs and exhibitions, this one would celebrate not what was or what is, but what is to come. It’s eye was firmly fixed on the future, as indicated by the theme, “Dawn of a New Day.”
- Listen now:
Playlist:
Fanfare
Opening War Theme
Sonata in d
Composed by Domenico Scarlatti (1685-1757). Public domain.
Closing War Theme
Except when otherwise indicated, the contents of this podcast are © and ℗ 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020, 2021, 2022, and 2023 by Mark Painter, all rights reserved. Some music and sound effects used by arrangement with Pond 5.
Hello Mark. Thanks for another great episode! You did a fantastic job packing all of the amazing history of the 1939 World’s Fair into one episode! I will always have the utmost respect for the generation of Americans that lived during the great depression and fought in World War 2. I regard that generation as real heroes who made it through some pretty tough times. The 1939 World’s Fair is a fascinating piece of History. One of the things that interests me most is the Westinghouse time capsule that was set to be opened in the year 6939. It would be very interesting to know what the world would look like in the 70th century. I also would wonder what the generation of 6939 would think about the generation of 1939 as they open that Westinghouse time capsule. Additionally, the Nimatron is also a cool little piece of early gaming history from the 1939 World’s Fair. Two topics that I am looking forward to you covering are the Dust Bowl and the 1940 U.S. Presidential Election.
Apparently “getting one’s ashes hauled” used to be a common euphemism for having sex, and this expression may go back as far as 1906. Perhaps it relates more to the male experience. There may have been various sub-connotations, but I don’t think I will investigate further.