World's Fairs

So this is one of my pet obsessions - ever since I was young and I discovered the fabulous dinosaurs at Crystal Palace Park in South London and realised that they were part of a grand festival which also included, well, a crystal palace housing newly discovered wonders of the world. What has happened to the days when structures were designed purely to celebrate the innovation and variety of what the future has to hold (and no the millenium dome does NOT count)? The Eiffel Tower in Paris, the Unisphere in New York in '64 - all were the result of world's fairs. On said subject here is a great little film about the Unisphere with wonderful '60s graphics:
For a general intro to the 1964 world's fair this film "To the Fair" is great:
One of my favourite things from this particular world's fair is the Futurama 2 exhibit by Ford General motors - space age vehicles and imaginary cities galore! If only they actually built these places... but the future never turns out as you expect it...
As an aside on the future as we may or may not expect it, here is a great and in places accurate short film from the 1930s on future fashions in the year 2000 Thanks to Fed by Birds for the tip off on that one.