The 1939 New York World's Fair - 7 Zones of Excitement

The 1939 New York World's Fair was conceivedavailable to the consumer. Companies that were
during the depression with the idea of buildingfeatured included Borden, General Cigar, Heinz,
something so fantastic that its very presenceSwift, Beech Nut and many others. And as its
would lift the United States out of the doldrumsnamesake suggested, you could purchase all sorts
of the depression. To accomplish this, theof food and drink here for consumption.
founders decided to make the 1939 worlds fair aThe Communications and Business Zone
truly international event by creating seven zones,showcased a variety of companies and state of
each covering a different subject area.the art products - including AT&T, RCA, the
The seven zones were: the Government Zone,U.S. Post Office, Crosley and many others. It also
the Community Interests Zone, the Food Zone,featured a communications building highlighting all
the Communications and Business Zone, thethe companies and products that were bringing us
Production and Distribution Zone, theinto the modern age of communications.
Transportation Zone and the Amusement Zone.The Production and Distribution Zone of the 1939
The Government Zone was further broken upWorlds Fair featured a large number of
into three areas, the Country Zone, the Hall ofmanufacturing companies and demonstrated how
Nations and the Court of States.raw materials were used to produce finished
Each zone focused on a particular type of activity.products. Some of the companies represented
Let's take a look at what each zone offered toinclude Con Edison, Dupont, Eastman Kodak, Elgin
people who attended the 1939 worlds fair.Watches, General Electric, US Steel and
The government zone was all about the variousWestinghouse.
countries around the world and the states of theThe Transportation Zone was all about
United States. The exhibit allowed people totransportation - including exhibits from Chrysler,
explore the various cultural varieties that existFirestone, Ford, General Motors and many others.
around the world in the various country exhibitsIt also had exhibits about state of the art aviation,
and specialties of each state that was exhibitingrailroad and marine transportation. And it featured
at the fair. Additionally, there was a central CourtFuturama - a view of the United States in the
of Peace which held a variety of events and was1960's.
best known for its equestrian performances.And last but certainly not least was the
The Community Interest Zone of the 1939 NewAmusement Zone. The Amusement Zone was
York World's Fair featured a variety of industriesthe most popular Zone in the park and it featured
and trades that were of mass appeal - includinga variety of amusements, shows, rides and
art, gardens, the gas industries, textiles, homefirework displays.
building materials and furniture, jewelry,The 1939 New York World's Fair is much like the
cosmeticsm religion and many others. Its mostmodern complex of Disney World and Epcot
striking feature was the Spiral Fountain which wasCenter. Disney World (like the Amuzement Zone)
located in the courtyard of Medicine & Publicis devoted to fun whereas Epcot Center (and the
Health and the Science & Education building. Itother 6 Zones) were devoted to both education
also featured the Town of Tomorrow, a collectionand fun. What is most interesting is that the
of 15 state of the art homes. Each home wasAmusement Zone was by far the most popular
designed around a specific theme and eachattraction. It seems that people at that time,
devoted a room that explained the materials thatweary of the depression, were looking for for
went into building that particular house.escape than learning and in that aspect the 1939
The Food Zone was a showcase of industries andworlds fair was a huge success.
companies that helped prepare and make food