Artistic or Cultural Advances

Artistic or Cultural Advances

The 1964 New York World's Fair was a showcase of 80 countries and covered 646 acres of land. There was a huge attendance numbering 51 million people who turned out to see the exhibitions on display. Despite the grandeur and large numbers of visitors, the New York World's Fair was considered a failure by the previous fair's standards. Due to post war animosities, there was a lack of European presence at the 1964 World's Fair and it in turn lost money. The idea of Robert Moses, fair director to occupy a space that would rival Central park fizzled and that coupled with a shortened exhibition than the expected two years spelled financial ruin for the fair.

The 1964 World's Fair did highlight some relatively new countries like Morocco, India and Sudan and also showcased a great deal of religious diversity. This was evidenced in the structures erected by the visiting countries and made for a wonderful display of varying architecture and artistic expression.

http://www.rockarch.org/publications/resrep/pdf/nicoletta.pdf
http://www.westland.net/ny64fair/
http://www.alamedainfo.com/new_york_worlds_fair_1964.htm
http://www.thisdayindisneyhistory.com/WorldsFair.html

Technological advances

Technological Advances


During the 1964 Olympics a new technology was used in the sporting events for the first time: Fiberglass pole vaults. These new pole vaults were fabricated by using fiberglass which is a much lighter substance and much more flexible. The new lightweight construction, flexibility and strength of the fiberglass made it possible for athletes to convert their running speed into greater heights when vaulting. This new innovation led to new records set in the pole vaulting competition as well as a new standard in pole vault construction.

http://www.insidescience.org/content/olympian-technology-higher-faster-stronger/745
http://bleacherreport.com/articles/381512-rojo-remembers-pole-vaultings-quantum-leap
http://illumin.usc.edu/143/soaring-to-new-heights-the-evolution-of-pole-vaulting-and-pole-materials/
http://www.livestrong.com/article/353272-pole-vaulting-history/

Political Events in the Eastern World

Political Events in the Eastern World

The most iconic and talked about event that took place in 1964 involved the Vietnam War. In 1964 an incident called the Tonkin Incident occurred in which several US navy ships were attached by Northern Vietnamese Naval boats and resulted in damage to the US ship and equipment, but no American casualties were seen. Following the Tonkin incident, a resolution was passed by congress that gave President Lyndon Johnson the ability to assist Southeast Asian nations from threats of 'communist aggression' without having to declare war. This began a long and controversial war between the US and Vietnam that was highly criticized by the US public. After winning re-election on a platform that promised not to send American boys thousands of miles to do what Asian boys should be doing to protect their country, President Johnson succumbed to pressure to send troops to Vietnam.




http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_detailpage&v=LqLtrciwXH4
http://www.authentichistory.com/1961-1974/4-vietnam/1-overview/4-1964-1968/
http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/amex/vietnam/timeline/tl2.html#b
http://history.state.gov/milestones/1961-1968/GulfofTonkin

Political Events in the Western World

Political Events in the Western World


One of the most important political events that occurred around the 1964 Olympics was the assassination of President John F Kennedy on November 22, 1963. This set into action a flurry of political action which started by the appointment of Lyndon Johnson as President John F Kennedy's successor. He followed through on a great deal of the civil rights initiatives started by JFK and was equally, if not more committed to equality for all Americans. In 1964 Johnson faced Congress to attempt to get legislation passed for Civil Rights. After using all manner of political influence including flattery, strategy, threats and charm to aid in his fight, he also used the sympathy of the American people following JFK's assassination to persuade them to support the bill as an homage to his dedication to equality  This important piece of legislation aimed to prevent discrimination based on race and was intended to repeal segregation.  The Civil Rights Act of 1964 also helped to guarantee equality in employment opportunities for all Americans.

http://www.ourdocuments.gov/doc.php?flash=true&doc=97
http://www.crf-usa.org/black-history-month/the-civil-rights-act-of-1964
http://www.lbjlibrary.org/lyndon-baines-johnson/lbj-biography
http://www.jfklibrary.org/JFK/JFK-in-History/Civil-Rights-Movement.aspx

Where, what, when

 A summary of the Olympics – Where, what, when:

The Olympics is an ancient sporting event that got it's beginning in Greece. It was originally a competition that was composed of races and eventually other events. The winner would receive a variety of prizes such as an olive wreath, and later free food, and lodging. Those who won in the events were written about in poetry, songs and became heroes.

It was considered an honor to attend the games and all of the most prominent people in surrounding areas like Asia, Africa and Italy made the trip to witness the Olympics. In more recent years the Olympics has been a showcase on the worlds stage highlighting the best athletes in the world.

The 1964 Olympics were held in Tokyo, Japan and were the first to be held in Asia. The honoree picked to carry the torch at the opening ceremonies was a Japanese man who was born on the day the atomic bomb was dropped on Hiroshima. The leader in gold medals went to the Soviet Union. The 1964 Olympics were held during a time of social and political change in the United States.  In 1964 The civil Rights Act was passed in an effort to end discrimination in the United States based on race and in an effort to end segregation.







http://library.thinkquest.org/27528/main.htm
http://www.ourdocuments.gov/doc.php?flash=true&doc=97

http://www.olympic.org/tokyo-1964-summer-olympics
http://www.sports-reference.com/olympics/summer/1964/