In 1982, the "scruffy little city" of Knoxville, Tennessee
welcomed the world to its back yard via the way of the 1982 World's
Fair.
Listed below are some basic & fun facts regarding the fair.
Opened: By President Ronald Reagan at the Court of Flags on
May 1, 1982
Closed: October 31, 1982
Theme: "Energy Turns the World"
Promos: "The 1982 World's Fair - You've Got To Be There!"
Site of Fair: Abandoned railroad yard next to downtown Knoxville
and U.T.
Countries: 22 Nations
Visitors: Over 11 million total, 87,659 on opening day,
and 387,697 during opening week
Ticket Prices: Adults ages 12-54 - $9.95 and Children under
11 - $8.25
Mayor of Knoxville: Randy Tyree
Famous Visitors: U.S. President Ronald Reagan, Bob Hope,
Dinah Shore, Phillipines President & First Lady Ferdinand &
Imelda Marcos, Crown Prince of Jordan Hassan bin Talal
World Fairs in USA: The 1982 Fair was the last successful World's Fair
held in America and first ever in the South.
City's Cost: $46 million in bonds helped fund the 1982 World's
Fair. Debt was paid off in May 2007 - two years early.
What Remains: Sunsphere, 216-cubic-foot Rubik's Cube from
the Hungarian Pavilion, Strohaus Restaurant (The Foundry), and the Tennessee
Amphitheater are all that remains at the World's Fair Park site.
Prices During 1982: First-class stamps were 20 cents, a gallon
of regular gas was $1.30, and the median household income was $20,171.
TV Humor: Part of a Simpson's episode. Bart Simpson and friends
take a spring break trip to the 1982 World's Fair site in Knoxville
and knock over the Sunsphere. Episode aired March 31, 1996.
Pez Prize: A Pez candy dispenser with an astronaut's head
and
"1982 World's Fair Knoxville Tennesse" on the side
sold on eBay in 2006 for $32,305 - and yes, the state name was
spelled incorrectly on the dispenser.
Petro's: Petro's began its Fritos, chili, cheese, tomatoes,
onions and sour cream in a Fritos' bag concoction at the 1982 Worlds'
Fair. It was originally know as the "Petroleum Belly"
but was eventually shorted to "Petro."
More
info here.
Sunsphere: The Sunsphere was constructed for the 1982 World's Fair and during that time, it served as the symbol to the Fair. It was also home to a full service restaurant and the Observation Deck, which used to cost $2.00 for the elevator ride up to visit. The Sunsphere closed to the public with the Fair's end and remained vacant or underutilized for most of its post-fair life.
More info here.
