Friday Fun: Expo 67!

Wow, is this ever a blast from the past.

For over 150 years, world's fairs have fascinated the general public with their blend of futuristic optimism and desire to entertain the masses. In 1967, the city of Montreal played host to Expo 67 from April to October. This particular world's fair also set a single-day attendance record when 569,000 visitors came on the third day it was open. The Library and Archives of Canada has created this virtual tour of the fair, complete with information about all the pavilions, activities, and special guests. In the "Pavilions" section, visitors can watch a movie about these unique structures, and also learn about how each country chose to represent their nation at the fair. Another section that's well-worth checking out is the "News Report" area. Here visitors can read some of the news headlines from that heady time. You won't want to leave the site without downloading the Expo 67 logo for your screen saver or checking out the theme song to the fair, "Hey Friend, Say Friend".

The virtual exhibition, created by the Library and Archives Canada along with the Archives of the City of Montreal, is absolutely fantastic. It really gives a feel what it was like to be there.

I should know. I was there. Born in 1962, of course, I was only a little kid at the time, not quite 5 during that summer. However, my father worked as an engineer at Expo so we could get in for free. I remember going an awful lot that summer. I also very clearly remember tons of family from across Canada staying with us during Expo; we even took had some families we didn't know stay with us, which I think was probably quite common during that more innocent era.

Lots more links here and there's also a solid article in Wikipedia.

(via The Scout Report.)