Today marks the 55th anniversary of the opening of the Seattle World’s Fair. The Fair has been written, studied and broken apart by people much smarter than me, so I feel I can’t add much in the way of long form essays or deep research. Instead, I will share newspaper clippings, postcards, photos, ephemera videos off and on until October 21st, when the fair closed.

President John F.  Kennedy signaled the opening of the Fair via radip signal from a gold telegraph key in Palm Beach, Florida.

Article about the opening of the Fair – The Tennesseean – April 21, 1962

The 1962 Seattle World’s Fair, as it will look on opening day, April 21, 1962, in Seattle, Washington. Shown from the left are the Concert Hall and Arts Center, the Coliseum with 11-story roof, the U.S. Science Pavilion (arching towers) and the 550-foot Space Needle topped by a revolving restaurant. First high speed mass-transit Monorail connects the world’s fair ground with downtown Seattle.

Another early postcard with an artist’s conception of how the Fair would look. Note the complete different top of the Space Needle

Postcard showing how the Fair really looked at the opening

I will share more about the buildings, the Space Needle, the Monorail and the rides as the days go on. Sit back, relax and enjoy the Fair.