Space Needle

Our nation's unique identity has been formed, in large part, by the monuments and landmarks we have erected. Structures such as the famous Gateway Arch in St. Louis and the Washington Monument in Washington, D.C., stand today as permanent reminders of the people and events that have built a strong America. Many of these structures made history even as they were created; most integrated the latest in design and technology and required the skills of thousands of workers. For the first time, the Building America series chronicles the massive undertakings that mark some of the greatest triumphs of human engineering. The fact that these projects were even attempted, and then completed successfully, is a testament to the boldness of human ingenuity and a tribute to the brave spirit of the American people. It is that special spirit that is now captured in the pages of the Building America series.

• ? Hardcover: 300 pages ? Publisher: History Link/HistoryInk and Seattle Center Foundation (October 21, 2011) ? Language: English

Space Needle, science, skyrides, showgirls. Many nations, monorail stations, Elvis gyrations. The 1962 Seattle World's Fair -- Century 21 Exposition -- had it all, optimistically looking ahead to theorize and imagine what the future might hold.

Century 21 Exposition drew 10 million visitors -- remarkable for a fair staged in a lesser-known city far from the public eye -- and captured America at the peak of Cold War tensions, on the cusp of cultural revolution.

Behind the glitter and diplomacy was a larger vision: Business leaders, elected officials, and residents who built the fair's success vowed that when the lights went out and the tourists went home, Seattle would be left with a much-needed civic center. In the half-century since the fair, Seattle Center has become the artistic and cultural hub of the city -- the brilliant and remarkable legacy of a fondly remembered six months in 1962.

About the Author Paula Becker is a staff historian at HistoryLink.org, where her essays document the dance marathon craze of the 1920s and 1930s, war-effort knitting on the home front during World Wars I and II, and the career of The Egg And I author Betty MacDonald, among numerous other subjects. She cowrote (with Alan J. Stein) the book Alaska-Yukon-Pacific Exposition: Washington's First World's Fair.