On April 22 , 1964 , New York opened its most quad age World ’s Fair . The centerpiece was a 120 - foot diameter carving calledThe Unisphere , the largest orb - stylus sculpture in the world . Made from unstained steel and standing twelve stories tall , the Unisphere was stand for to call down the funfair ’s radical of " Peace through Understanding . " It still stand today in Queens .
The three rings surrounding the Unisphere symbolize the orbits of three great firsts in space : Yuri Gagarin , the first human in orbit ; John Glenn , the first American in compass ; and Telstar , the first communications satellite .
Oddly , the Unisphere is in reality the second World ’s Fair - relate sphere to be built in Flushing Meadows Corona Park . In 1939 , thePerispherewas built in the park for that twelvemonth ’s World ’s Fair . It was later argufy .
To get a sentience of how awesome the Unisphere was , check outthis 1964 commercialadvertising the New York underground :
For more on the experience of the bazaar , the Unisphere , and what ’s go out today ( scores of carving ! ) , check outthis delicious tourby Michael D. Jackson , mixing historical and advanced footage :
The Unisphere and the New York State Pavilion remained after the fairish closed , but fall into disrepair . The band They Might Be Giants explored the area in their songs ( they discourse the " ' 64 World ’s Fair " in " Ana Ng " among other songs ) , and even shotthe video for " Do n’t Let ’s Start"in the marquee in 1987 . The grounds were doctor start in 1989 , and appear in a variety of movies , includingMen in Black , The Wiz , andIron Man 2 .
Today you canvisit the Unisphereeasily . Just take the # 7 wagon train to 111th Street and take the air a few occlusion . The jet is only turned on in the summer , but you may visit any time . ( Flushing Meadows Corona Park alsocontains a clustering of other poppycock . )
( heading photograph byCm300883- Own work , CC BY - SA 4.0,Link . )
