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Photo via Living in a grown up World
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Whew! That was quite a trip around the World…Showcase! We hope you enjoyed the trek, and once again, we’d like to thank Mike, Heidi and Beth for journeying with us! Click on any Pavilion if you wish to revisit them: Japan, American Adventure, United Kingdom, Canada, France, Morocco, Italy, Germany, China, Mexico, Norway.
At first glance, the design of Epcot may not make much sense. Half of the Park focuses on invention, science, technology and futuristic applications while the other half, the portion we recently explored, highlights culture, social customs, history and ethnicity. The two actually began as separate concepts to be developed independently. However, Walt Disney Imagineers realized a combination of the core ideas offered a much stronger idea than either had been on its own.
According to The Imagineering Field Guide to Epcot, “Epcot puts forth the notion that the future is a positive place, where the wonders of science and technology will continue to improve the quality of life for people throughout the world.” And so the Park brings together people from throughout the world to show them that “The future is bright, leaning is fun, and excitement is everywhere.”
Future World has been called a “permanent World’s Fair,” as it showcases the latest designs, innovations, communications, transportation and more. Walt Disney believed the world’s greatest problems could be solved through careful planning and thoughtful design. Future World shows us just what is possible when people put their minds to tackling problems, from optimizing natural resources to exploring space, from hybridizing crops to penetrating the ocean’s depths.
Stop by Thursday to explore some of these technological advancements in Future World East.
Today’s Takeaway:
The geodesic sphere of Spaceship Earth pays homage to icons of World Fairs of the past, such as the Perisphere and Trylon of the 1939-40 New York World’s Fair and the Unisphere at the1964-65 New York World’s Fair.
From Wikipedia:
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| Photo via Rothchild Antiques |
The Trylon and Perisphere were two modernistic structures, together known as the “Theme Center,” at the center of the New York World’s Fair of 1939-1940. Connected to the 700-foot (210 m) spire-shaped Trylon by what was at the time the world’s longest escalator, the Perisphere was a tremendous sphere, 180 feet in diameter. The sphere housed a diorama called “Democracity” which, in keeping with the fair’s theme “The World of Tomorrow,” depicted a utopian city-of-the-future. Democracity was viewed from above on a moving sidewalk, while a multi-image slide presentation was projected on the interior surface of the sphere.
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| Photo via Wikipedia |
Neither structure remains, though the Unisphere , commissioned to celebrate the beginning of the space age, now stands in their place.
Today, research World’s Fairs of the past. Examine some inventions/exhibits that have become household items or are now in common use. For example, the X-ray machine, the infant incubator, and even the ice cream cone were products of the 1904 St. Louis World’s Fair! What else was once considered “futuristic” that is now very commonplace?
SCHOOL SUBJECT: History/Science
SKILL LEVEL: All
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