1939 Book Jacket

The Trylon and Perisphere

Time Capsule - 1939 New York World's Fair

1939 New York World's Fair Time Capsule
To be opened in 6939

Is the 1939 World's Fair a good reason to travel back in time? You bet it is...

Dear Readers:
Having great time wish you were here.
Enjoyed the Perisphere and the city of tomorrow. Saw something called television at the RCA building.
See you soon,
Robert P. Fitton

Wait a minute, didn't TV come on the scene after the Second World War? Actually, Herbert Hoover was viewed on a prototype hook-up a decade earlier. RCA's display heralded the optimism and grasp for a bold tomorrow.

RCA TV at the 1939 New York World's Fair

Television, RCA Building,
1939 New York World's Fair

Rising Tide,
by William Grant Still was the theme song of
the 1939 World's Fair

Optimism and hope for better days are wonderful American traits. For nearly a decade the pain of depression had been endured by millions by the time the fair opened. With not much change in the pocket and the sounds war threatening, Americans who witnessed the display of technological marvel and human hope for the future were inspired.

Elecktro at The Westinghouse Building
It didn't start with R2D2 and CP30...

So, in the midst of all this yearning for utopia, enter pivotal figures in time; people whose actions will reverberate through the centuries. A beacon of hope is found so many thousands of years hence. It is the time capsule secured underground at the 1939 New York World's Fair.
Andy Reese is an astronomer scanning the sky for signs of intelligent life. Instead of receiving an alien signal, he is contacted by humans from the future; humans who can study time lines and know things can be changed for the better. He is sent back to Iowa in the summer of 1939. Lucy Apel, a high school senior, has won a writing contest and a trip to the 1939 New York World's Fair. Lucy reflects the fair's purpose.

An Iowa Farm

Lucy's energy, attitude and intelligence are challenged by mutated humans sent back to 1939. Perhaps the pin she receives at the fair best sums it up.

Lucy looks forward to the movie release in August, 1939 of her favorite book as a child.

The Wonderful Wizard of Oz, L. Frank Baum


				Arrival in Emerald City

Of course ... a map for future reference from the management.

1939 Book Jacket

Further Reading