World’s Fair
A Fair to Remember
Celebrating the 50th Anniversary of Seattle's 1962 World's Fair.
Fifty years ago, Seattle threw a party for the world. The World’s Fair—called The Century 21 Exposition—was a celebration of Space Age innovation at a time of hope and futuristic yearnings. Our city, once regarded by many as a muddy Wild West outpost, was thrust into the world’s spotlight, suddenly becoming sophisticated and cutting edge….
A World of Difference
Our fearless editorial director reflects on the 1962 World's Fair and the lasting optimism it brough
In 2006, when we produced an anniversary issue celebrating this magazine’s 40-year evolution from Pacific Search, to Pacific Northwest, to Seattle Home and Garden to the Seattle mag you’re reading today, we invited local notables to write about the key events and people responsible for shaping our city over the last 40 years. A common…
Locals’ Seattle Center Memories
Our city’s civic gathering place has played host to many memorable and poignant moments. Here are a
Marie McCaffrey Executive director, HistoryLink.org I was 11 in 1962 and went to the fair at least twice. You can see the proof in these pictures (above). One is in the world’s fair photo booth. I clearly remember the smell and the taste of the Belgian waffle, which made such an indelible impression on everyone….
Cool Souvenirs from the World’s Fair
Sure, they’re kitschy now, but back in 1962, these items were hot property.
1. Champagne glasses (with Space Needle stems) used on opening night of the fair 2. A ticket book, with individual tickets for fair exhibits 3. An official Space Needle beanie, whose top shakes like a maraca 4. A commemorative egg timer on a piece of wood (of course!) 5. Porcelain salt and pepper shakers 6….
Vintage World’s Fair Cocktails to Make at Home
Cocktail expert A.J. Rathbun offers recipes for three retro drinks once served atop the Space Needle
In 1962, stylish guests dined and drank at The Eye of the Needle (now called SkyCity), while slowly revolving 500 feet above Seattle. While the days of a $6.75 three-course dinner are long gone, you don’t need a time machine to sample the drinks from the Needle’s menu. Seattle magazine’s cocktail expert A.J. Rathbun offers…
Seattle Center by the Numbers
A few fun (and somewhat random) statistics related our city's core cultural campus.
1,000,000: number of dollars the City of Fife offered Seattle to move the Space Needle to its downtown 600,000: number of dollars the City of Seattle paid for the monorail in 1965 500,000: total number of Belgian waffles sold during the six months of the fair. Stacked, they would have been higher than 70 Space…
Recommended Reading on Seattle’s 1962 World’s Fair
In case your inner Seattle Center nerd still isn't satisfied, go here for more history and memorabil
BOOKS The as-yet-unnamed Knute Berger history of the Space Needleby Knute BergerTo be released in spring of 2012 Seattle magazine’s own editor-at-large is also the writer in residence at the Space Needle. He penned this history of the Needle in his office on the Observation Deck. The Future Remembered: The 1962 Seattle World’s Fair And…
Space Needle Trivia!
Five things you didn’t know about Seattle’s Space Age icon.
The Space Needle Is Well Rooted (see above photo) The Space Needle has a 30-foot-deep foundation made with 2,800 yards of concrete and 250 tons of reinforcing steel. The above-ground portion of the Needle weighs an impressive 3,700 tons, but the foundation is even mightier, weighing in at 5,850 tons. Thanks to this massive hidden…
Commemorative Space Needle Toppers
Even better than a billboard, the Space Needle is a prominent way to get a message across.
Since its construction, we’ve been decorating the Space Needle to commemorate special occasions. A crustacean ascended the Space Needle in October, 1985 as a publicity stunt for Fish and Seafood Month. In July, 2008, the Sub Pop flag was flown in honor of the local record label’s 20th anniversary. Squatch helped paint a Sonics mural…
Rejected Ideas for Seattle’s World’s Fair
From a Space Needle atop Mount Rainier to a “Carveyor,” Knute Berger dishes on the World’s Fair that
The Seattle world’s fair of 1962 is fixed in civic memory: the Space Needle, the Science Center, the Monorail. But just as interesting as the fair that was is the fair that wasn’t. The Century 21 Exposition had many possible incarnations that remained on the drawing board. So consider this column the opposite of Elvis…
How 1962 Changed Seattle Forever
Knute Berger on two men and one book that helped shape Seattle’s opinion of itself.
This last year, I’ve spent a lot of time in 1962, as I research and write a history of the Space Needle. Every week, I appear on KUOW-FM’s Weekday news roundtable to discuss such things as the Alaskan Way Viaduct, the tunnel, marijuana and the mayor, but honestly, I’ve been more fascinated with the politics…
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