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Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, Maryland 20771

ENGINEERING COLLOQUIUM

Photo of Bill Cotter
Photo of rocket exhibit at the World's Fair

Monday, October 19, 2015 / 3:30 PM, Building 3 Auditorium

Bill Cotter

"NASA at the 1964 World's Fair"

ABSTRACT -- The 1964-65 New York World's Fair was the largest event ever held in the United States, attracting more than 51 million visitors, far more than any other fair, sports event, or other gathering. Billed as the "Billion Dollar Fair" it featured the titans of American industry proudly showcasing their newest and their future products. The fair accurately predicted the coming rise of computers for use outside of labs and corporate data centers and offered many people their first opportunity to personally operate one of these futuristic devices. NASA and the Space Race had a major presence at the fair, with the breath-taking "US Space Park" located just inside one of the main gates and many pavilions, including General Motors, Ford, and General Electric, also presenting the wonders of space and of the future that would be made possible by science and technology. While many of the more futuristic elements such as moon colonies have yet to arrive, the 1964-65 New York World's Fair was an inspirational platform for the youth of its time, with its portrayal of a future unlimited in what could be achieved, with America leading the way. This talk will feature a look back at the fair that helped shape the futures of so many of the visitors lucky enough to enjoy it in person; discuss the importance of such displays in inspiring future generations of scientists and engineers; and, hopefully, convey the spirit of wonder and excitement that shone for those two amazing summers 50 years ago in Flushing Meadows, New York.

SPEAKER -- Bill Cotter has had a long-term fascination with world's fairs ever since his many visits to the 1964-65 New York World's Fair. He credits the fair's technological displays with igniting an interest in computers that led to his becoming a computer design engineer on the US Navy's ballistic missile submarine program. He later joined Disney to establish their computer security and went on to leadership positions at Warner Bros., Digital Equipment, Litton, Universal, and Bank of America. Over the years he has continued as a consultant to Disney on a number of non-computer projects, including his book The Wonderful World of Disney Television, appearances on numerous Disney DVDs and documentaries, presentations at the theme parks, and the digital recreation of the 1964 fair in the 2015 film Tomorrowland.

Bill has written eight books to date on world's fairs, with his ninth volume due out in early 2016. He has contributed to dozens of books, magazines, films, and television programs about world's fairs. His collection of photographs from these international expositions is believed to be the world's largest personal collection, with more than 20,000 images of the 1964 fair alone.


Engineering Colloquium home page: https://ecolloq.gsfc.nasa.gov