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Off Topic: How the hell did Knoxville get a World Fair?
Posted on 4/4/17 at 3:06 pm
Posted on 4/4/17 at 3:06 pm
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Posted on 4/4/17 at 3:23 pm to athenslife101
Lol. I went to it and to be fair, Knoxville is like being on a different planet.
For real though....I was like eight or so and the only thing I remember is that big gold ball with the restaurant inside.
For real though....I was like eight or so and the only thing I remember is that big gold ball with the restaurant inside.
Posted on 4/4/17 at 3:50 pm to KyleOrtonsMustache
quote:
Lol. I went to it and to be fair, Knoxville is like being on a different planet.
In what way? I didn't live here in the 80's, but Knoxville is thriving right now and on pace to become one of the best mid sized cities in the South over the next decade.
Knox County was/is the 2nd highest growing county in the state of Tennessee outside of the Nashville metro area according to the latest census update.
Edit: Knoxville was pretty shotty in the 80's from what I told
This post was edited on 4/4/17 at 4:02 pm
Posted on 4/4/17 at 4:05 pm to athenslife101
The Butcher Brothers through bribery, corruption, and fraud.
Posted on 4/4/17 at 4:17 pm to TRUERockyTop
quote:
In what way?
This post was edited on 4/4/17 at 4:18 pm
Posted on 4/4/17 at 4:31 pm to KyleOrtonsMustache
Posted on 4/4/17 at 4:37 pm to KyleOrtonsMustache
quote:
For real though....I was like eight or so and the only thing I remember is that big gold ball with the restaurant inside.
I was ten. We went. I mostly remember an Inca mummy and some crappy souvenirs I got and the jingle for the commercials. "You've got to be there! The 1982 World's Fair...."
It was still miles better than that shitfest in New Orleans in 1984.
Posted on 4/4/17 at 5:31 pm to athenslife101
The same way the University of Georgia got a national championship in the 80s.
It was like a decade of craziness. Strange things happened that will never happen again.
It was like a decade of craziness. Strange things happened that will never happen again.
Posted on 4/4/17 at 9:32 pm to athenslife101
quote:
How the hell did Knoxville get a World Fair?
Al Gore Sr
Jake Butcher
Man I miss the good old days when politics was more corrupt but actually got more stuff done.
Posted on 4/5/17 at 7:55 am to KyleOrtonsMustache
quote:
the only thing I remember is that big gold ball with the restaurant inside.
According to the simpsons the sunsphere is now full of wigs.
Posted on 4/5/17 at 8:03 am to GnashRebel
While Ilke that version, they did refurbish it about a decade ago LINK
Posted on 4/5/17 at 8:12 am to athenslife101
Attendance for U.S. World's Fairs:
Philadelphia - 05/1876-11/1876 - 10 Million over 6 months
Chicago - 05/1893-10/1893 - 27.5 Million over 5 months
St. Louis - 04/1904-12/1904 - 19.7 Million over 8 months
San Francisco - 02/1915-12/1915 - 19 Million over 10 months
Chicago - 05/1933-10/1934 - 48.6 Million over 17 months
New York - 04/1939-10/1940 - 45 Million over 18 months
Seattle - 05/1974-11/1974 - 4.8 Million over 7 months
San Antonio - 04/1968-10/1968 - 6.4 Million over 6 months
Knoxville - 05/1982-10/1982 - 11 Million over 5 months
New Orleans - 05/1984-11/1984 - 6 Million over 6 months
Knoxville averaged over 2 million visitors per month...that isn't bad as far as World's Fairs go. It also made a profit. After the debacle in N.O., the U.S. has not hosted another World's Fair.
Wikipedia - World's Fair
BTW...the focus of the '82 world's fair was energy. Knoxville is about 20 minutes from the site of the world's first nuclear reactor designed for continuous operation and 3 U.S. Department of Energy sites. So, Oak Ridge, TN probably played a big role in Knoxville getting the fair.
ETA...as mentioned above, the real reason would be Jake and C.H. Butcher.
Philadelphia - 05/1876-11/1876 - 10 Million over 6 months
Chicago - 05/1893-10/1893 - 27.5 Million over 5 months
St. Louis - 04/1904-12/1904 - 19.7 Million over 8 months
San Francisco - 02/1915-12/1915 - 19 Million over 10 months
Chicago - 05/1933-10/1934 - 48.6 Million over 17 months
New York - 04/1939-10/1940 - 45 Million over 18 months
Seattle - 05/1974-11/1974 - 4.8 Million over 7 months
San Antonio - 04/1968-10/1968 - 6.4 Million over 6 months
Knoxville - 05/1982-10/1982 - 11 Million over 5 months
New Orleans - 05/1984-11/1984 - 6 Million over 6 months
Knoxville averaged over 2 million visitors per month...that isn't bad as far as World's Fairs go. It also made a profit. After the debacle in N.O., the U.S. has not hosted another World's Fair.
Wikipedia - World's Fair
BTW...the focus of the '82 world's fair was energy. Knoxville is about 20 minutes from the site of the world's first nuclear reactor designed for continuous operation and 3 U.S. Department of Energy sites. So, Oak Ridge, TN probably played a big role in Knoxville getting the fair.
ETA...as mentioned above, the real reason would be Jake and C.H. Butcher.
This post was edited on 4/5/17 at 8:15 am
Posted on 4/5/17 at 8:24 am to madmaxvol
quote:
It also made a profit
Wasn't the profit like $20 or something?
Also, your list is missing the 1964 fair in New York, that left the Unisphere.
Posted on 4/5/17 at 9:02 am to madmaxvol
quote:
BTW...the focus of the '82 world's fair was energy.
quote:
So, Oak Ridge, TN probably played a big role in Knoxville getting the fair.
quote:
ETA...as mentioned above, the real reason would be Jake and C.H. Butcher.
Gore family fortune was balls deep in Occidental Petroleum stock. It was energy alright, but more oil than nuclear or solar. If you have ever been in Lexington and remember the old "Citizens Union" it was briefly a Butcher bank and some believed the gold windows (similar to the tower in Knoxville) was what attracted Butcher to buy it in the first place. Not sure if the Gore family still has all that oil stock but interesting that Gore jr was outspoken on global warming when that provided the money to keep him comfortable.
Posted on 4/5/17 at 10:24 pm to Cheese Grits
The Butcher brothers supposedly also had a room in the sunsphere with prostitutes on retainer. Local afternoon radio host in Knoxville, Phil Williams, had a show about it one day a few years ago.
Posted on 4/5/17 at 10:32 pm to athenslife101
Primo in the Sunsphere was legit. I frequented the place, sad that they're only doing special events now.
Went bankrupt like the vols athletic department.
Went bankrupt like the vols athletic department.
This post was edited on 4/5/17 at 10:38 pm
Posted on 4/7/17 at 4:52 pm to GnashRebel
quote:
According to the simpsons the sunsphere is now full of wigs.
Confirmed.
As a native Knoxvillian, I approve this message.
Posted on 4/11/17 at 3:16 pm to Evolved Simian
quote:
Wasn't the profit like $20 or something?
Seems like I recall hearing that too. The corruption was fantastic.
I graduated from UT in 1981. I remember the main part of the site was a very blighted looking railroad yard before they did the Fair site. Big improvement.
This post was edited on 4/11/17 at 3:30 pm
Posted on 4/11/17 at 3:56 pm to SavageOrangeJug
quote:Rustled
The same way the University of Georgia got a national championship in the 80s.
It was like a decade of craziness. Strange things happened that will never happen again.
This post was edited on 4/11/17 at 3:58 pm
Posted on 4/12/17 at 8:46 am to Evolved Simian
quote:
It also made a profit
quote:
Wasn't the profit like $20 or something?
Waay more than that...$57.00
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