A half-century ago this summer, the Expo ’74 international exposition was held right here in Spokane.
Nearly all world’s fairs have had themes. The theme for Expo ’74 was: Celebrating Tomorrow’s Fresh New Environment. That seemed mighty appropriate given the eyesore that had been the Expo fairgrounds just a few years before: an enormous train depot and industrial area.
Canada used its exhibit to focus on the beauty of nature. West Germany showcased how technology impacts the environment. The giant U.S. Pavilion included a courtyard of green grass and a vinyl-and-steel tent-like structure where guests were shown one of the first IMAX movies ever made.
The Women’s Council of Realtors sponsored a trash can in the form of an iron goat, sculpted by Sister Paula Turnbull of Fort Wright College. A recording would ask for your garbage. The goat would then suck down the trash via a powerful vacuum system.
Not everybody was totally on board with the Expo’s environmental theme. The Mormon Church pavilion, for example, put its focus on “moral pollution.” And Ford featured its recreational vehicles — not exactly the most environmental friendly models.
The revitalization of Spokane’s rivers and waterfalls was a major topic of the fair. On June 5, 1974, the United Nations dished praise on the area on the first World Environment Day. Once the fair was over, the grounds were converted into the Riverfront Park we know and love today.
The U.S. Pavilion — or, at least, it’s basic structure — is still here, too. As is the state of Washington Pavilion. You know it today as the First Interstate Center for the Arts. The site of the Canadian Pavilion is known today as Canada Island.
= World Fair held in North America
| Year | City | Name/Type | Theme | Nations Exhibiting | Attendance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1851 | London | The Great Exhibition | Industry | 25 | 6,000,000 |
| 1855 | Paris | Exhibition Universelle | Agriculture, industry, art | 27 | 5,200,000 |
| 1862 | London | International Exhibition | Industry and art | 39 | 6,100,000 |
| 1867 | Paris | Exposition Universelle | Agriculture, industry, art | 42 | 15,000,000 |
| 1873 | Vienna | Weltausstellung | Culture and education | 35 | 7,260,000 |
| 1876 | Philadelphia | Centennial Exposition | Industry and art | 35 | 10,100,000 |
| 1878 | Paris | Exposition Universelle | Technology | 35 | 16,200,000 |
| 1880 | Melbourne | International Exhibition | Agriculture, industry, art | 33 | 1,300,000 |
| 1888 | Barcelona | Exposición Universal | Fine and industrial arts | 30 | 2,300,000 |
| 1889 | Paris | Exposition Universelle | French evolution | 35 | 32,300,000 |
| 1893 | Chicago | Columbian Exposition | Discovery of America | 19 | 27,500,000 |
| 1888 | Brussels | International Exhibition | Modern life | 27 | 6,000,000 |
| 1900 | Paris | L'Exposition de Paris | 19th century | 40 | 50,900,000 |
| 1904 | St. Louis | International Exposition | Louisania purchase | 60 | 19,700,000 |
| 1905 | Liège | Universal Exposition | Belgian independence | 35 | 7,000,000 |
| 1906 | Milan | Esposizione Internazionale | Transportation | 40 | |
| 1910 | Brussels | Universal Exposition | Agriculture, industry, art | 26 | 13,000,000 |
| 1913 | Ghent | Universal Exposition | Peace, industry, art | 24 | 9,500,000 |
| 1915 | Sans Francisco | Panama-Pacific Exposition | The panama canal | 30 | 18,900,000 |
| 1929 | Barcelona | Exposición Internacional | Industry, art, sports | 29 | 5,800,000 |
| 1933 | Chicago | A Century of Progress | Industry, science | 21 | 38,900,000 |
| 1935 | Brussels | Exposition Universelle | Transportation | 35 | 20,000,000 |
| 1936 | Stockholm | ILIS | Aviation | 8 | |
| 1937 | Paris | Exposition Internationale | Technology, art | 45 | 31,000,000 |
| 1938 | Helsinki | International Exposition | Aviation | 25 | |
| 1939 | New York | World's Fair | World of tomorrow | 54 | |
| 1939 | Liège | Exposition Internationale | The art of water | 8 | |
| 1947 | International Exhibition | Urbanism, housing | The art of water | 14 | |
| 1949 | Stockholm | World Sport Exhibition | Sports | 14 | |
| 1949 | Lyon | Special Exhibition | Rural living | ||
| 1949 | Port-au-Prince | Exposition Internationale | Peace festival | 15 | 250,000 |
| 1951 | Lille | International Exhibition | Textiles | 22 | 1,500,000 |
| 1953 | Rome | EA 53 | Agriculture | 1,700,000 | |
| 1953 | Jerusalem | International Exhibition | Conquest of the desert | 13 | 600,000 |
| 1954 | Naples | International Exhibition | Navigation | 25 | |
| 1955 | Turin | International Expo of Sport | Sports | 11 | 120,000 |
| 1955 | Helsingborg | Helsingborg Exposition | Enviornment | 10 | |
| 1956 | Beit Dagan | Exhibition of Citriculture | Citrus agriculture | ||
| 1958 | Brussels | World's Fair | Humanism | 39 | 41,500,000 |
| 1061 | Turin | Expo '61' | Technology and labor | 19 | 5,000,000 |
| 1962 | Seattle | Century 21 Exposition | Man in the space age | 49 | 2,500,000 |
| 1965 | Munich | IVA 65 | Transportation | 31 | 250,000 |
| 1967 | Montreal | Expo '67 | Man and his world | 62 | 50,300,000 |
| 1968 | San Antonio | HemisFair '68 | Civilzation in the Americas | 23 | 6,400,000 |
| 1970 | Osaka | Expo '70 | Progress and harmony | 78 | 64,200,000 |
| 1971 | Budapest | Expo '71 | Hunting | 35 | 1,900,000 |
| 1974 | Spokane | Expo '74 | Enviornment | 10 | 5,600,000 |
| 1975 | Okinawa | Expo '75 | The sea | 35 | 3,490,000 |
| 1981 | Plovdiv | Expo '81 | Hunting | 70 | |
| 1982 | Knoxville | World's Fair | Energy | 16 | 11,100,000 |
| 1984 | New Orleans | World's Fair | Fresh water | 15 | 7,340,000 |
| 1985 | Tsukuba | World's Fair | Building technology | 48 | 20,300,000 |
| 1985 | Plovdiv | Expo '85 | Inventions | 54 | 1,000,000 |
| 1986 | Vancouver | Expo '86 | Communications, transportation | 55 | 22,100,000 |
| 1988 | Brisbane | Expo '88 | Modern-day leisure | 36 | 18,600,000 |
| 1991 | Plovdiv | Expo '91 | Young people | 9 | |
| 1992 | Seville | Expo '92 | The age of discovery | 112 | 41,800,000 |
| 1992 | Genoa | Expo Colombo '92 | Christopher Columbus | 54 | 1,700,000 |
| 1993 | Daejeon | Expo '93 | Enviornment and progress | 141 | 14,500,000 |
| 1998 | Lisbon | Expo '98 | The oceans | 143 | 10,100,000 |
| 2000 | Hanover | Expo 2000 | Man, nature, technology | 174 | 18,100,000 |
| 2005 | Aichi | Expo 2005 | Nature | 121 | 22,000,000 |
| 2008 | Zarazoga | Expo 2008 | Water | 108 | 5,650,000 |
| 2010 | Shanghai | Expo 2010 | Urban technology | 246 | 73,100,000 |
| 2012 | Yesou | Expo 2012 | The ocean and the coast | 103 | 8,200,000 |
| 2015 | Milan | Expo 2015 | Feeding the world | 145 | 21,500,000 |
| 2017 | Astana | Expo 2017 | Energy of the future | 137 | 3,980,000 |
| 2021-22 | Dubai | Expo 2020 | Creating the future | 192 | 25,000,000 |
| 2025 | Osaka | Expo 2025 | Designing future society | ||
| 2027 | Belgrade | Expo 2027 | Healthy people, healthy planet |
This edition of Further Review was adapted for the web by Zak Curley.