Futurama at 1939 NY World's Fair
69,673
Published 2014-07-19
This future of skyways aka freeways and sprawling suburbs was put on hold because of World War Two but it came roaring back after the War. This compelling vision became synonymous with the American Dream.
It's still compelling developing countries like China to urbanize and hit the road in automobiles. We don't see any smog in Bel Geddes utopia but LA discovered and now China is finding out that translating World's Fair ride into reality has some drawbacks.
For a quick read about this famous exhibit -- en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Futurama_(New_York_World's_F…)
QT - On to New Horizons
Producer: Handy (Jam) Organization
Sponsor: General Motors Corporation, Department of Public Relations
All Comments (21)
-
Honestly, a lot of this DID happen. It just turned out suckier than we thought
-
The future world of 1960 looks cool. I wish I could live long enough to experience it.
-
19:26 There it is—intentionally using highway construction as a means to displace “slums,” spelled out in as clear of language as you’d ever want.
-
The future looked better in the past.
-
Something this Futurama model was missing: No parking lots. No parking garages. No thought given to where all these cars would be when they weren’t driven?
-
Good news everyone!
-
Drinking game: drink every time “new horizons” is spoken
-
a fine line between growth and progress and reaching a point where consumption and gross overindulgence in pleasure kicks in. At some point, the world crossed the line.
-
“In a restless search for new opportunities and new ways of living The mystery and the promise of distant horizons Always have called men forward.” This quote is in a Starset song but I could’ve sworn it was in a movie. Anyone else know?
-
Starset - Where The Skies End
-
I have a souvenir ring of this fair that I bought on Ebay fifteen years ago. Authentic.
-
The Robert Moses view of the future. His ideas were wrong on almost every account. More roads and more cars. Now we are melting.
-
Why Dustin decided to put this into the song we will never know
-
This vision leaves me chilled. Gosh, I hope we do something less of a highway of fast movements through our lives and more of a stride of our own scale.
-
we still don't have highways where you can travel at a speed of 100 mph without being arrested and charged a fortune by cops
-
Little did they realize the world was about to be thrust into a world war!
-
1:04 for those that came from STARSET.
-
We’re living in the future we all thought about and couldn’t wait to be apart of and witness it unfold. I’m watching the past in the palm of my hand. People from the past couldn’t wait for the future and all the technological advancements that were to come. Yet I sit here with the amazing technology and advancements we have now wishing for the past. It’s funny. We couldn’t wait for this to happen. The past wanted the future. The future wants the past.
-
23:01 Ah! The true colors are revealed, right out of the Robert Moses' infernal playbook.
-
