1982 World's Fair facts for kids
Quick facts for kids 1982 Knoxville |
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The 1982 World's Fair logo
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| Overview | |
| BIE-class | Specialized exposition |
| Category | International specialized exposition |
| Name | Knoxville International Energy Exposition |
| Motto | "Energy Turns the World" |
| Building | Sunsphere |
| Area | 28 hectares (69 acres) |
| Visitors | 11,127,786 |
| Participant(s) | |
| Countries | 16 |
| Location | |
| Country | United States |
| City | Knoxville |
| Venue | World's Fair Park |
| Coordinates | 35°57′43″N 83°55′26″W / 35.962°N 83.924°W |
| Timeline | |
| Opening | May 1, 1982 |
| Closure | October 31, 1982 |
| Specialized expositions | |
| Previous | Expo 81 in Plovdiv |
| Next | 1984 Louisiana World Exposition in New Orleans |
| Universal expositions | |
| Previous | Expo '70 in Osaka |
| Next | Seville Expo '92 in Seville |
| Horticultural expositions | |
| Previous | Floralies Internationales de Montréal in Montreal |
| Next | Internationale Gartenbauaustellung 83 in Munich |
| Simultaneous | |
| Horticultural (AIPH) | Florida 1982 |
The 1982 World's Fair, officially called the Knoxville International Energy Exposition, was held in Knoxville, Tennessee, United States. This special event focused on the theme "Energy Turns the World." It was recognized by the Bureau International des Expositions (BIE), which is an international organization that oversees World's Fairs.
The fair opened on May 1, 1982, and closed on October 31, 1982. More than eleven million people visited the fair during its six months. Many countries took part, including Australia, Canada, China, France, Japan, Mexico, the United Kingdom, and the United States.
The fair was built on a 70-acre (280,000 m2) piece of land. This land was located between Downtown Knoxville and the University of Tennessee campus. Most of the area was an old railroad yard that was falling apart. The railroad yard was removed, except for one train track. The old train station was fixed up and used as a restaurant during the fair. The Sunsphere, a 266-foot (81 m) steel tower with a gold globe on top, was built as the main symbol of the fair. Today, the Sunsphere is a famous symbol for the city of Knoxville.
Contents
Planning the World's Fair
The idea for a World's Fair in Knoxville came from local developers. They saw how Spokane, Washington, successfully hosted a World's Fair in 1974. W. Stewart Evans, who led the Downtown Knoxville Association, suggested the idea to the city government.
Knoxville's Mayor, Kyle Testerman, asked a local banker named Jake Butcher to lead a group to explore the idea. Butcher became a key person in making the fair happen. People in Knoxville sometimes called it "Jake's Fair." A group called the Knoxville Foundation Inc. was created to organize the event.
Some people, both locally and across the country, doubted if Knoxville could host such a big event. The Wall Street Journal even called Knoxville a "scruffy little city" in 1980. This led to Knoxville being nicknamed the "Scruffy City."
This World's Fair was the second one held in Tennessee. The first was the Tennessee Centennial Exposition of 1897, held in Nashville.
Opening Day Excitement
On May 1, 1982, the 1982 World's Fair opened. About 87,000 people came on the first day. The fair's theme was "Energy Turns the World." TV commercials before the fair used the slogan "You've Got To Be There!"
The opening ceremony was shown on local TV. President Ronald Reagan came to officially open the fair. TV star Dinah Shore hosted the ceremony. Music artists like Porter Wagoner and Ricky Skaggs performed as the gates opened. A pass for all six months of the fair cost $100 (which is like equivalent to $303 in 2022 today).
Highlights of the Fair
The fair ran from May 1 to October 31. It welcomed 11,127,780 visitors from all over the world. This made it the 5th most-visited World's Fair in U.S. history that was approved by the BIE. It had the most visitors among the four specialized expos held in the United States.
The fair made a small profit of $57. This was much less than the $5 million profit organizers hoped for. The city of Knoxville was left with a $46 million debt. This debt was fully paid off in May 2007.
Countries and Exhibits
Many countries participated in the fair. These included Australia, Belgium, Canada, The People's Republic of China, Denmark, Egypt, France, Greece, Hungary, Italy, Japan, Luxembourg, Mexico, the Netherlands, Panama, Peru, the Philippines, Saudi Arabia, South Korea, the United Kingdom, the United States, and West Germany. Panama did not use its space, so a group of Caribbean island nations used it instead.
The Peruvian exhibit showed a mummy that was unwrapped and studied at the fair. The Egyptian exhibit had ancient artifacts worth over $30 million. Hungary, where the Rubik's Cube was invented, sent the world's largest Rubik's Cube. It had turning squares at the entrance to its pavilion. This giant Rubik's Cube is still in World's Fair Park. You can see it in the lobby of the Holiday Inn next to the park.
Every night at 10 PM, a 10-minute fireworks show lit up the sky. It could be seen from many parts of Knoxville.
Sports and Entertainment
The Pittsburgh Steelers and the New England Patriots played a preseason football game at Neyland Stadium on August 14, 1982. The Steelers won the game 24–20.
An NBA exhibition game also took place. The Boston Celtics played the Philadelphia 76ers at Stokely Athletic Center on October 23, 1982.
A TV station, KM2XKA on Channel 7, was built for the fair. It first shared information about the World's Fair. Later, it became DTV-only WMAK, an independent station.
New Inventions Showcased
The 1982 World's Fair was where several new ideas and inventions were first shown to the public. These included:
- Touch screen display screens, which let you interact with a computer by touching the screen.
- Tetra Pak boxed shelf-stable milk, which could be stored without refrigeration for a long time.
- The Cherry Coke flavor by Coca-Cola.
The oil company Texaco showed the idea of pay at the pump. This was part of new advances in energy technology.
The fast food chain Petro's Chili & Chips, based in Knoxville, started at the fair. Today, it has several locations, mostly in East Tennessee.
Challenges Faced
Hotels and other places to stay in Knoxville could not take reservations directly. Room bookings, from hotels to houseboats, were sold in a package with fair tickets. This was handled by a central office called Knoxvisit for the first eleven days. This office had financial problems, and another company, PLM, took over reservations. PLM also faced difficulties and went bankrupt.
The fair left the city of Knoxville with a large debt. This debt was eventually paid off in 2007.
Lasting Impact of the Fair
After the fair's success, many Knoxville residents hoped the city would become a major hub. They thought it might grow like Atlanta or Charlotte. However, Knoxville's growth was slower compared to cities like Chattanooga. Chattanooga gained national attention for its riverfront projects.
In 1991, the city of Knoxville tore down the U.S. Pavilion. It had structural problems that could not be fixed safely. The area where the pavilion stood became a parking lot. This lot is next to the Knoxville Convention Center in World's Fair Park.
The sites of the Korean and Saudi Arabian pavilions became a performance lawn. This area hosted concerts for eight years. The site of the Japanese Pavilion became the new home for the Knoxville Museum of Art. The Elm Tree Theater, next to the former pavilion, became part of the museum's courtyard. The elm tree was later hit by lightning and cut down. The theater's courtyard has been empty since then. Many of the pavilion sites and the fair's midway were given to the University of Tennessee. They use these areas for campus expansions and student parking.
In 1996, Knoxville and the 1982 World's Fair were featured in an episode of The Simpsons called "Bart on the Road". In the episode, Bart and his friends travel to Knoxville to see the fair. They learn it closed ten years earlier. The episode ends with Nelson throwing a stone at the Sunsphere, which makes it fall on their rented car.
In 2000, the park closed for two years. This was for the building of the Knoxville Convention Center. The center was built where several exhibits used to be.
The Tennessee Amphitheater is the only structure, besides the Sunsphere, that remains from the World's Fair. It was almost torn down in 2002. But people wanted it saved, so it was renovated between 2005 and 2007. It reopened in 2007. In 2007, the amphitheater was named one of the top fifteen architectural works in East Tennessee.
In the summer of 2002, World's Fair Park reopened for events and concerts. These included Earth Fest and Greek Fest. An Independence Day celebration is held there every year. The Knoxville Symphony Orchestra plays a free concert with a huge fireworks display. In May 2007, the East Tennessee Historical Society opened an exhibit. It celebrated the fair's 25th anniversary. On July 4, 2007, an annual celebration was held with the fair's 25th Anniversary festivities. The next day, July 5, 2007, the Sunsphere's observation deck reopened to the public after being fixed up.
Collectibles from the Fair
Many items were made just for the World's Fair. These included cups, trays, plates, belt buckles, and more. Some of the most interesting items were:
- Arcade Tokens: The fair focused on technology and energy, so video games were also featured. In the arcade area, visitors could find seven special arcade tokens. Each token showed a different popular game from that time. The games on the tokens were Pac-Man, Ms. Pac-Man, Space Invaders, Qix, Gorf, Scramble, and Donkey Kong.
- Coca-Cola Pin: A special Coca-Cola pin was given to 500 important guests on opening day.
- World's Fair Beer: "Worlds Fair Beer" was also released when the fair started. About 250,000 cases of the beer were sold during the fair. This was almost six million cans. Rick Kuhlman, a marketing director for a beer company, came up with the idea. He had to pre-sell 10,000 cases to pay for the first batch. The beer came in nine different colored cans: red, blue, green, brown, gold, black, purple, yellow, and orange. Each color was for a different production batch. Many fair-goers bought the beer cans but never drank the beer, hoping they would become rare collectibles. To celebrate the fair's 35th anniversary, World's Fair Beer was made again in May 2017. It is now available at some bars and breweries in Knoxville.
Gallery
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Australian Pavilion
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Baptist Pavilion and Waters of the World
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People's Republic of China Pavilion exhibit
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Sunsphere
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Tennessee River, Australian and Canadian Pavilions and Midway
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U.S. Pavilion
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Tennessee Amphitheater
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KUB Substation Exhibit and U.S. Pavilion
Images for kids
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Workers and guest gather at the expo site for the topping out ceremony for the U.S. Pavilion, circa 1981.
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Aerial view of fair site
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Visitors walking the fairgrounds below the Sunsphere, June 3, 1982
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Japanese pavilion with artificial intelligence programmed "Painting Robot."
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Children using a touch-screen computer at the U.S. Pavilion.
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Demolition of the U.S. Pavilion, April 6, 1991
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ETHS exhibit celebrating the fair's 40th anniversary
See also
In Spanish: Exposición Internacional de Knoxville (1982) para niños
