| • Science | • People | • Locations | • Timeline |
Ironically, "Expo 67" was originally going to be held in Moscow, to help the Soviet Union celebrate the 50th anniversary of its revolution. When it changed its mind in 1962, Montreal stepped up.
The main part of the fair was held on Île Sainte-Hélène and Île Notre-Dame , artificial islands built from earth excavated for the Montreal metro system, first opened in 1966. Expo 67 opened on April 27, 1967 and featured 90 pavilions for nations, corporations and industries including the U.S. pavilion, a geodesic dome designed by Buckminster Fuller. Expo 67 also featured the Habitat 67 housing complex designed by architect Moshe SafdieMoshe Safdie (born July 14, 1938) is a famous Canadian architect. He was born in the town of Haifa in the British Mandate of Palestine and emigrated to Montreal, Canada. He apprenticed under Louis Kahn in Philadelphia. He is most famous for his ideas of c, which is still occupied.
A notable feature of Expo 67 was the World Festival of Entertainment, featuring opera, ballet and theatre companies, alongside orchestras, jazz groups, famous Canadian pop musicians and other cultural attractions.
The Expo was one of the most successful ever and is still regarded fondly by Canadians. 1967 is often referred to as "the last good year" before economic decline, Quebec sovereigntism (seen as negative from a federalist viewpoint), and political apathy became common. Despite this there were problems: FLQ terrorists were active at the time and death threats were issued; and President Johnson's visit became a focus of anti-war protesters.
More than 50 million visitors attended the Expo at a time when Canada's populaton was only 20 million. The fair was visited by many of the most notable people of the day including Queen Elizabeth II, Lyndon Johnson, Princess GraceGrace Patricia Kelly ( November 12, 1929 September 14, 1982), later known as ''Her Serene Highness Princess Grace of Monaco was an Oscar-winning American film actress who became the wife of Prince Rainier III of Monaco. She was born in Philadelphia, Penns, Jacqueline Kennedy, and Charles de Gaulle, who created an international controversy when he shouted " Vive le Québec libre!" ("Long Live Free Quebec") from the balcony of the Montreal city hall on July 24 (this slogan being well known as the rallying cry of the Quebec independentists).
Montreal's former baseball team, the Expos, was named after the event.
After 1967, the site struggled on for years as a standing collection of international pavilions known as "Man and His World." However, as attendance declined, the physical condition of the site deteriorated, and less and less of it was open to the public. In 1976, a fire destroyed the acrylic outer skin of R Buckminster Fuller's dome. The entire site closed for good in 1982.
Today, the site houses a casino, a Formula One race track, an amusement park ( La Ronde), and many acres of parkland on Ile Saint-Helene. The old US pavilion still stands, currently housing a science museum on the theme of water.