Growing up I heard stories of the 1939-40 fair from my parents who both attended as youngsters. They lived through the Great Depression and the fair gave a sign of hope there was going to be a more prosperous future. The theme was Building the World of Tomorrow and featured appliances that would make life easier, and a new technology called television and color photography and the promotion of automobile travel.

The theme of the World’s Fair of 1964-65 was Peace Through Understanding. Many countries had immense buildings built as well as many big corporations and even many states had exhibits. You could see an automated Abraham Lincoln recite the Gettysburg Address, ride in an Aqua Car on Meadow Lake, have a Belgian Waffle, see Michaelangelo’s Pieta, taste food from around the world, learn about foreign culture, ride the Sky Ride high above the fair, see rocket ships and dinosaurs, and Disney reminded us that It’s a Small World After All.

After the fair ended, Walt Disney, who had created many of the attractions for different corporations, wanted to make his theme park here but city planner Robert Moses who was responsible for bringing the two fairs to NYC said no. He wanted a park here for the people of Queens.

My mother remembers her father taking a photo of the Trylon and the Perisphere, the symbols of the fair, and enlarging the photo and proudly hanging it on the wall.She also remembers the nightly fireworks show that they watched from their Maspeth home.

My father Eugene was an avid photographer and took us to the fair a few times, he took these photos and many more. Hope you enjoy them.