On this day in 1964 the New York World’s Fair opened, and four Disney exhibits were part of the festivities. it’s a small world, presented by Pepsi-Cola/UNICEF, featured the debut of the beloved ride-through attraction that would later be relocated to Disneyland. President Abraham Lincoln made his Audio-Animatronics® debut in Great Moments with Mr. Lincoln in the State of Illinois pavilion. General Electric’s Progressland featured the Carousel of Progress, which was relocated to Disneyland and eventually to Walt Disney World’s Magic Kingdom, and Ford’s Magic Skyway allowed guests to hop aboard a new Ford automobile for a trip from the beginning of time (which included some of the dinosaurs currently seen from the Disneyland Railroad) through the beginning of the space age, while listening to narration provided by Walt Disney himself via car radio. About the Magic Skyway, Henry Ford said, “I won’t say they stayed within the original budget—but they got it done, and on time,” and he felt the more than $40 million automobile merchandising campaign was well worth it. Incidentally, the second day of the fair saw clear skies and a golden sun and sailed smoothly through October 1965.
