The World of Tomorrow

Discover the various ways visitors could travel about the fairgrounds.

At the center of the fairgrounds, dominated by the futuristic Trylon and Perisphere, the Theme Center is where many people began their adventure in the World of Tomorrow.

Powered by dozens of gears and electrical relays, Elektro the Westinghouse Moto-Man fascinated thousands of fair-goers with his witty remarks and state of the art antics.

The central feature of the General Motors Highways and Horizons pavilion, Futurama provided a glimpse of what a modern city might look like in 1960.

Many Americans were introduced to the idea of television at the fair. One feature was a closed circuit studio where visitors could be televised and friends and family could view their performance on a receiver in an adjacent room.

The Transportation Zone included exhibits related to the automotive industry, railroads, marine travel and much more. The most popular attraction was the lavish Railroads on Parade pageant.

Literature, historical documents, consumer goods and scientific information was among the many items crammed into the torpedo shaped Westinghouse Time Capsule. The Capsule was buried fifty feet below the Westinghouse exhibit, to remain undisturbed for five thousand years.

Front view of the General Motors Building at the fair.

The Marine Transportation Building.

The Aviation Building.

This Pontiac Deluxe Six, constructed of Pexiglas by General Motors for the fair, was sold in 2011 for more than $300,000. It was one of three such cars built by GM, and the only one to survive to the present day.

RAILROADS ON PARADE

One of the most popular attractions in the Transportation Zone was the Railroads on Parade pageant, a lavish hour-long production that portrayed the development of the railroad industry through song, dance and re-enactment of historical events such as the placing of the golden spike in Promontory Utah at the completion of the first transcontinental route.

The large cast of characters moved amidst a succession of real vintage locomotives and carriages to an original score composed for the occasion. It is interesting to note that the actors did no singing and there were no musicians visible on the set. The orchestra and vocalists were secluded in a large chamber beneath the stage. You can view a copy of the official Book of the Pageant below.

HOME MOVIES

Railroads

This silent clip shows scenes of the railroad exhibit, including the popular Railroads on Parade pageant.

BOOK OF THE PAGEANT

This PDF copy of the official Railroads on Parade guidebook describes the history of the railroad industry in America alongside brief excerpts from the program. It may take a few seconds to load.

A re-enactment of the golden spike ceremony at Promontory Utah at the completion of the first transcontinental railroad.

An actor portrays Peter Cooper as he operates the famous early locomotive "Tom Thumb".

TRANSPORTATION ZONE MAP

This is a PDF copy of a large, original map of the Transportation Zone. It may take a few seconds to load.

FORD AT THE FAIR

The Ford pavilion at the fair was one of the largest in the Transportation Zone. Outside, visitors travelled in new Ford Cars along the Road of Tomorrow, an elevated course that featured barriers between lanes of vehicles travelling in different directions and limited access ramps. features that are commonplace today.

Inside, the focus of attention was on a hundred foot diameter display that rotated on a pool of water. It was called the Cycle of Production. It featured dozens of models, accompanied by more than a hundred animated figures, that demonstrated how raw materials are acquired and processed to become cars, trucks and other goods important to our industrialized society. The display was featured in Symphony in F, a Ford produced short film that showed the process set to orchestral background music. This film can be viewed below.

SCENES FROM THE FAIR

This sort documentary film, produced by the Ford Motor Company, shows various scenes from the 1940 season of the fair before settling in at the Ford exhibit to detail its many features.

SYMPHONY IN F

Film inspired by Ford's Cycle of Production exhibit at the 1939-40 New York World's Fair. At the Rouge plant in Dearborn, Michigan, Ford assembly line employees do their jobs to the accompaniment of an orchestra.

An external view of the Ford Motor Company exhibit building.

The Road of Tomorrow, where real Ford cars carried visitors around a half mile futuristic course.